Have You Ever Danced In the Rain?
by Bridgette Potter
Summary: Hawkeye goes looking for Margaret after no one has heard from her for 3 years. You know how people keep telling you to write about what you know? Most of this story is based in Michigan where I live. Some of the places are real. Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Hawkeye looked around him and the first think he noticed was the cold

Have You Ever Danced in the Rain?

_Hawkeye looked around him and the first think he noticed was the cold. It was a biting wind that seemed to seep into his marrow freezing him. That was when he noticed the bridge and the water churning icily under him. He looked around to try to figure out where he was and figured he was on a suspension bridge much like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Then he noticed _her.

_He could recognize that figure anywhere from all the time he spent watching her when she didn't have a clue of what he was doing. He tried to walk to her but he was frozen to the bridge. She was standing near the rail gazing at the water below when he called out to her._

"_You never looked Hawkeye. You never looked for me. I wish I could tell you how I feel but it's too late." She turned her tearstained face toward him and he saw that they were freezing to face from the cold. That was when he realized that she was wearing only a dress and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She shook her head at him sadly and said in an equally sad voice, "It's too late."_

_Then Margaret climbed onto the railing sitting on the rail for a second before she gave him one last look and then slipping over the side toward the crushing waters below._

"_Nooooooo!" yelled Hawkeye trying to move to the railing hoping desperately that she was safe and hadn't slipped off the bridge._

Hawkeye woke up with a jerk covered in a cold sweat. He looked around his room and saw all his familiar belongings but didn't see anything that could indicate a bridge or anything from his dream except his gaze lingered on the framed photograph he had sitting on his dresser of Margaret smiling holding one of the orphans that they had taken care of during a shelling in Korea.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his raven hair with gray hairs. What was up with her? He couldn't seem to get her out of his head. Well it had started when Father Mulcahy had sent him that picture of her. He probably knew something he didn't know. And what did she mean by how she wished to tell him how she felt? What about?

He looked over at the clock and decided it was better than any to get up and start the day. He threw on some clothes that smelled clean and made his way downstairs and made himself some coffee. As he watched the trees outside sigh in the wind his father came down and poured him self some coffee.

Daniel grimaced and started to put sugar in his cup. "Why do you have to make it so strong? Are you trying to kill me?"

Hawkeye turned to his father with a smile. "Now don't be putting ideas in my head Dad. Tom come by yet?"

"I haven't checked."

Hawkeye put down his coffee cup and went outside to check the mail. He didn't know what to expect but he just felt like something could be in there for him. He guessed he just wanted to find something linking him to someone other than her. As he climbed back up the steps shuffling through the stack he found that something he had been looking for.

He tore open the letter from B.J. and read hungrily.

_Dear Hawk,_

_I hope this letter finds you healthy. I just wanted to tell you some wonderful news. Peg's pregnant again! I was so happy that when I found out I dashed outside and started to howl at the moon, which just earned me a few looks from my neighbors and a boot at my head from my good neighbor Mr. Dobbs. I wanted to ask you if you could come and visit the time the baby's supposed to come. I know it would mean a lot to Peg and Erin too._

_Have you heard anything from Margaret?_

Hawkeye looked up from the letter surprised. Is the universe trying to tell him something? That he should contact her before it was too late like in his dream? Hawkeye looked back down at the letter and continued to read.

_Have you heard anything from Margaret? Klinger said he thought he saw her in Michigan. I know. Michigan right? I asked him why she might be up there but he didn't know anything. He just thought he saw her walking down a street in a place called Charlevoix. When I asked him what he was doing there all he said it was something for his Uncle Abdul. The close-knit clan of Klingers. Maybe you should you go check it out. See if she'd okay. I can't go because of Peg's pregnancy and I promised my self that I wouldn't miss a single thing about our next baby since I missed a good bit of Erin's life._

_Just see if you could go check it out. Will you?_

_Peg, Erin and baby all give you their love and we hope you come when the baby's due._

_ Your buddy, B.J. _

Hawkeye wondered why B.J. was asking him to go. Did he also know something he didn't know? Maybe the whole former 4077th was in on this plot. Hey, lets all mess with Hawkeye's mind by sending pictures and writing letters about her to him. Well, he did wish he could talk to her. Everyone he knew hadn't heard anything from her since the war and they were all worried about her. But then why hadn't Klinger talked to her? Maybe he tried but she didn't hear him. Maybe he could go check it out and see if she was okay.

Later that hour Daniel went to go into the den/study to get a book to read but turned around quietly when he found Hawkeye nose deep in an atlas looking at a page with a mitten shaped land mass on the page.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOO

Hawkeye looked up from the paper spread out on the table in front of him when he heard the phone ring. He went into the hall and picked it up.

"Y'ello."

"Hawk, it's me B.J."

"Hey. How's it going with Peg's pregnancy?"

"Great, great. So you got my letter? How's it going?"

"Fine, fine. Listen, why did you ask me to look for her?"

"Always cut to the quick eh Hawk? I don't know. I know how close you guys were and if it was her in Charlevoix that you would be the one she would most likely talk to. We're all worried about her. You know?"

"I know. I know," said Hawkeye rubbing his eyes wearily. "Listen, I'll see if I can get off work but being the Chief Surgeon it shouldn't be too hard."

"I knew we could count on you. Listen, I've got to go I promised Peg lunch. Talk to ya later. Bye."

"Bye," said Hawkeye hanging up the phone. He ran his hand through his hair and made up his mind. He would go. All he had to do was figure out how in the world he was going to do this.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hawkeye scurried around his room looking for clothes to take on his trip when Daniel came into the doorway watching his son in amusement.

"Going somewhere? Or are you finally moving out?"

Hawkeye looked up from his suitcase holding a pair of socks. "I'm going on a little trip…"

"To Michigan," finished Daniel. "You should learn to put things away," and he handed Hawkeye the letter he had left out next to the atlas the other day. "Do you have everything?"

"Yeah," said Hawkeye patting his pockets looking for his tickets. He looked around to see if he had laid it down somewhere until Daniel held them up.

"Looking for these?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Hawkeye put them in his jacket pocket and finished packing.

"You love her, don't you," said Daniel.

Hawkeye looked up at his Dad surprised. "What do you mean?"

"You're stopping everything just to look for someone you're not even sure is there. To me that spells love."

"We're just good friends Dad, nothing else."

"Right," said Daniel in a tone, which said yeah right as he went down the hall to his bedroom.

Hawkeye picked up his suitcase and went down the stairs to wait for the taxi that would take him to the airport when Daniel came back with a small wooden box with iron designs beaten in on the lid.

"Here, your mother always wished that you find a good use for this." Daniel handed the box over to Hawkeye with a smile. "Don't open it here, better wait until you get on the plane."

A car horn beeped outside and Hawkeye gathered his things. He gave his Dad a smile, said goodbye and rushed to the taxi. As Daniel stood in the doorway waving to the taxi until it went over the crest of the hill he whispered, "I hope you find what you're really looking for." And with that he turned and went back in the empty house.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

As Hawkeye sat in his seat waiting for the plane to take off he remembered the box his Dad had given him and dug it out of his pocket. He opened the box with a small creak and found something shiny at the bottom of the smooth wood. He gingerly picked it up and recognized it was his mother's ring. The sapphire and two diamonds twinkled back up at him in knot work tracery. Hawkeye smiled and thought about what his mother probably expected him to do with it sometime in his life. He closed the presious ring in his hand, closed his eyes and brought it up to his mouth remembering all that the ring had seen and all that it yet to see.


	2. Chapter 2

Hawkeye's plane touched down in Traverse City and he walked through the small terminal to the equally small lobby

Hawkeye's plane touched down in Traverse City and he walked through the small terminal to the equally small lobby. He looked around at everything and all he could see was red. The carpet was red. The signs were all red and everything in the gift shop was red. He looked closely and noticed that all the red was cherry red and all the merchandise in the gift store had cherries on it.

"If someone didn't already know you could think that this was the cherry capital of the country or the world." Of course the handsome doctor was right. Traverse City was the Cherry Capital of the Country and every year hosted the National Cherry Festival in July.

The first thing he did was get a map. They didn't have any maps at home other than the atlas so he didn't know how he would get anywhere. He sat down on one of the bolted chairs next to the wall (of course it was cherry red) and opened his map and traced his way to Charlevoix. The only thing he was missing now was where did she live. Did she live in town? Or did she live in the surrounding countryside or a neighboring town? This was the only flaw in his plan. Then he got an idea. It was a bit crazy but maybe it could work. He quickly found the payphones, flipped through the phonebook, looked under the listings and started to dial all the hospitals surrounding or in Charlevoix.

It wasn't a big task there were only 3 hospitals around. One was in Traverse City, another in Charlevoix and another in Petoskey another major city in Northern Michigan. He first called Charlevoix Area hospital and hit gold his first time panning. He got a nurse at the desk and tried to get her address.

"I'm sorry sir but it's hospital policy. No revealing any personal files about patients or staff."

"Listen, -what's your name?"

"Marcy."

"Listen, Marcy I've got to find her. I know she lives around there so if you could just tell me her address I promise I won't tell anyone about this."

"I'm sorry Mr. …?"

"_Doctor_. I'm Dr. Benjamin Pierce Chief Surgeon at Portland Hospital. Maybe you could give her a message…"

He could here Marcy choke on her end of the phone. "You're not from Maine are you?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Margaret has told us about a devilishly handsome doctor in Korea who went by the name of Hawkeye. Well, maybe I can help you. She has always talked about you fondly."

Marcy gave Hawkeye Margaret's address and phone number and told him to talk to her again. As she put it she would like to talk to someone who was a character from her favorite book. Hawkeye said he would and hung up.

Okay now he had her address and phone number. Should he call her? Probably not. She might just pick up and leave if he called her letting her know he was around.

Hawkeye rented a car looked at the map to find the right route and started his way to Charlevoix The Beautiful.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When he got to Charlevoix the first think he thought was tourist trap. When he went down downtown there were plenty of little shops with probably outrages prices. He got himself a room in the Rooster's Roost Inn and went over his plan.

Tomorrow he would carefully find his way to Brown Rd., knock on her door and talk to her hopefully about why no one's been able to contact her. He crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep thinking about Margaret and the upcoming day.

The next day found Hawkeye trying to find a back road called Brown Rd.

"Damn. Where is that stupid road?" he asked the millionth time that day. He went down U.S. 31 again between Atwood and Charlevoix and finally found the sign that marked the road that had kept eluding him. "Aha. There's that damn road."

He pulled off onto the road and kept an eye on the passing houses looking for 11353 on the mailbox. He passed the several houses that were on the road until he came to his destination. He let the car idle for a while at the end of the long driveway looking at the place that Margaret now called home.

There sat a single story farmhouse with some backwoods and a swamp behind the woods. In front of the house was the beginning of a field hoping to grow up to be a cornfield. There was a barn and a chicken shed and Hawkeye wondered if Margaret actually did farm chores. He gave a laugh trying to imagine the feisty major mucking out some stalls in overalls. There was also a little garden with an electric fence.

He pulled into the drive and slowly made his way to the house. He got out of the car and his heart leaped into his throat. He couldn't believe that he was doing this. After 3 years of no contact he was going to talk to the woman that had always drove him crazy in more ways than one.

He knocked on the door and waited there for someone to open the door. He could hear laughter and voices inside and wondered if this was a good time to call on her. Just then Margaret opened the door with a smile not fully knowing who was there.

When she saw who was at the door her face paled a bit and her smile lessened a bit.

"Hawkeye?" she said softly.

"Hi Margaret. I was just in town and decided to drop by. Oh, and these are for you." He gave her a small bouquet of flowers he had bought earlier.

Margaret just stood there looking at him as if he was a ghost then she found her speech and stammered, "But how could you…? I haven't talked to anyone…"

"Klinger was up here a while ago and he thought he noticed you," said Hawkeye shrugging as if his coming there was nothing. "So the gang sent me here to see how things were going, since no one's heard from you for 3 years."

A voice rang from inside of the house. "Who's that Margaret? Come on the stories getting to the good part."

"Coming," said Margaret turning to an unknown room. She turned back to Hawkeye, "Come in. Come in Hawk. Take off your shoes make yourself comfortable," said Margaret getting her voice back.

As Hawkeye took off his shoes he looked at Margaret and couldn't help saying with one of his infamous smiles, "Much better wardrobe than khaki I must say."

Margaret blushed a little and looked down at her clothes. She was wearing jeans and a shirt that tied above her waist showing her flat stomach.

"Don't be getting any ideas buster."

She led him through the dining room/office into the living room where there was a small party of people laughing about a story one of them was telling. They were all arranged on an L-shaped couch.

There was a man who looked slightly shorter than Hawkeye and with a muscular build with caramel skin and short black hair and who was telling the story. Then there was a woman sitting next to him holding his hand whom also had a dark complexion and dark hair with glasses and looked a bit slim under her loose clothing. There was also a woman with chin length blonde hair and glasses who looked a bit on the round side and sitting next to her was a man who had his arm around her.

Everyone looked up as Hawkeye entered the room and regarded him silently.

"Everyone I would like you to meet Hawkeye. We served together in the Korean War in a MASH unit." Then Margaret pointed to each one in succession to introduce them. The dark tall man was Darrell Essenberg and his girlfriend was Michaela Cunningham. The blonde woman was Sandra Cole and her boyfriend was Matt.

Hawkeye greeted each of them and the women started to giggle at some private joke. They leaned toward each other and whispered something and started giggling again. Margaret gave them a look but they just put a look of innocence on their faces as if to say 'what did we do?'.

Then Sandra asked rather coolly, "Is this the Hawkeye you said was the sexiest man in Korea and he had the cutest ass?"

The room burst into giggles and laughter at her comment. Hawkeye looked at Margaret and saw that she was as red as (I'm sorry but I've gotta say it.) a cherry. He gave her a smile and a wink and she just blushed a shade more.

After the laughter had died down Hawkeye was ushered to sit down and Margaret got him a drink and some food.

"So what brings you here Hawkeye?" asked Darrell as if he already knew the answer.

"Well no one from the 4077th has seen or heard from her and we were all worried so they sent me as the messenger boy."

"How did you find my address anyways?" asked Margaret.

"I just called the local hospitals it isn't like you could do much other than nursing. How come you're not in the army?"

"How do you know I'm not in the army?"

"I don't think Charlevoix is much of a military base or town."

"I wanted more freedom," she said with a shrug. The girls gave a sarcastic sigh.

"Yeah, more into the nature scene why else would she be on a farm complete with a swamp," said Sandra.

"And don't forget the spiritual journey she's been taking," piped in Michaela.

Hawkeye raised his eyebrows in amazement. "Spiritual journey?"

"I've been researching other paths and religions a bit of the beaten path. Just trying to find something to make me unique."

"Baby, you don't need a religion to make you unique you all ready have some unique qualities." Hawkeye couldn't help but look at her outfit again.

"Like what? Never mind don't answer that. I know how your perverted mind works."

"Sounds a lot like someone I know," said Michaela looking pointedly in Sandra's direction.

"I do not!" she said indignant but said, "Yeah, you're right. I just can't help it, it's just how I think."

"Right, like it has nothing to do with the books you read."

"You read the same things."

"Shh. No one's supposed to know about that," Michaela whispered loudly.

Darrell's eyebrows shifted upward but he didn't comment on his girlfriend's choice of books. Instead he shifted his gaze to Hawkeye. "So you're a surgeon?"

"Chief Surgeon," Hawkeye corrected. "And I'm judging by your hands that you're not?"

"No detective. That's how I met Michaela here."

"She was the bad guy you had to bust?" This earned him a few chuckles.

"No, she was the new forensic examiner on the force and I had to talk to someone about the evidence I had found and there was Michaela sitting on a stool looking around as if she couldn't believe where she was. Next thing I knew I was over in her department several times just to talk to her and now here we are."

Hawkeye turned to Margaret and asked a question that had been nagging at his mind, "So do you have anyone special?"

"No. There was a someone but he turned out to be a jackass."

"Don't you just hate that when that happens?"

"Yeah."

Darrell looked at his watch and nudged Michaela. "I'm sorry but we gotta go Margaret. See you later. Nice meeting you Hawkeye we'll have to catch up with you sometime before you leave."

So Darrell and Michaela left soon followed by Sandra and Matt. After they had left Hawkeye and Margaret were left in an uncomfortable silence.

"So what have you been up to?"

"Chief Surgeon in Crabapple Cove. You?"

"Head Nurse in Charlevoix Area Hospital."

"How's the life of a free woman?"

"Good. I get to wear whatever I want and do anything I want pretty much if my housemate will let me."

"Male or female?"

"Female what do you think?"

"Just asking."

They sat in silence a few more minutes until Hawkeye couldn't handle it anymore. "I'm sorry but this not talking thing is driving me nuts."

"Well what do you expect us to do? We haven't seen each other in 3 years."

"Okay how about I take you out to lunch tomorrow?"

Margaret nodded her head. "Pick me up at the hospital at one and I'll tell you where to go to get a good meal." She gave him the directions to the hospital.

With that Hawkeye left. As he got in his car he cursed himself and made a vow to try harder tomorrow to get her talking. When he started to turn onto the highway he looked to his left all he sensed was a pair of bright lights rushing toward him, the crunch of an impact then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Margaret rushed to the reception of the hospital she usually acted so orderly and efficient

Margaret rushed to the reception of the hospital she usually acted so orderly and efficient in and looked urgently at the nurse at the desk.

"Where is he Marcy?"

"Room 211 Margaret. I do hope he gets better. He promised me a chat sometime."

Margaret wondered when they might have talked but shook it out of her head and rushed to the recovery hall and into Room 211. She found two beds in the room but one was empty. She turned to the one occupied and gave a small sob. The man that had just been hours ago setting up a lunch date with her with his amazing cerulean eyes was laying down on a bed as pale as his sheets with tubes coming from all over him.

She quietly stepped over to the bed and looked down at the motionless figure. She grasped his hand and gave a squeeze and gave a squeak when she felt a returning pressure. She jumped back and saw a smile pass his lips and his eyes squinting at her.

"Hi, baby."

"How are you feeling?"

"How do I look?"

"Truthfully? You look like shit."

"Funny I feel like shit."

"What happened?" she asked quietly as she sat in one of the chairs next to the bed.

"I don't know. All I remember is turning onto the highway, bright lights; the crunching of glass then everything went black. My whole body feels like it had been crumpled into a ball and thrown into a big wastepaper basket."

"Well, just be thankful that you survived. That truck hit you dead on."

"It was a truck?"

"Yeah, just a pickup. At least it wasn't an 18-wheeler."

"It feels like I had been hit by one though."

"Have you ever been hit by one?"

"No."

"Then I guess you don't how it feels to be hit by an 18-wheeler."

Hawkeye gazed at her with a soft smile. "I've missed you."

Margaret returned his smile and gave his hand another squeeze. "I've missed you too. You don't know how many times I've picked up that phone and put it back down."

Hawkeye opened his mouth to say more but their attention was distracted by an, "Ahem. I'm sorry ma'am but you have to leave. This patient is not supposed to be disturbed." When she saw that she was talking to her Head Nurse her face paled a shade and started to apologize.

"It's okay Nurse Brown. I was just leaving. And it was a good thing that you were about to tell me off. I wouldn't expect any less from my nurses." Margaret got up, gave Hawkeye a reassuring smile and left.

As she passed Nurse Brown she muttered in her ear, "Watch out for him. If you let him he'll be making passes to you all day." Nurse Brown nodded her head understanding what she had been told and moved on with her rounds.

Margaret decided to check in early so she wouldn't have to go home just to come all the way back 15 minutes later. She continued with the rest of her day dropping by Hawkeye's room during lunch and bringing something from the canteen. It was closest they could get to their lunch date. They found out during lunch that he could leave in a week or two.

"Where are you staying?"

"The Rooster's Roost Inn."

A smile spread on Margaret's face. "Funny. I know that place."

"It is a small city."

"It is. It is." The she said with a matter of fact tone, "When you're discharged you're staying with me." Hawkeye opened his mouth to protest but Margaret beat him to it. "I don't want to here about it. When you leave you're going to need someone to look after you. We can't expect you to do things yourself. Now can we?"

Hawkeye gave a chuckle. "Yeah, especially since where's it gotten me."

They made the necessary arrangements but Margaret let him get his own bags from the Inn. Two weeks later Hawkeye took a small cab to the Inn and got his stuff. As he was gathering his things a knock came at his door.

"Come in," said Hawkeye thinking it was Margaret coming to pick him up after work to drive him to her home.

"Mr. Pierce?"

"Yes?" Hawkeye turned around to find a slim figure in a little yellow dress, long blonde hair with a nervous look on her face.

"I'm sorry sir. But you still need to pay for your room and board."

"I'll be down in a minute. What's your name baby?"

"Bridget. This is my mother's Inn."

"Well Bridget do you think you could help me with my bags? I'm still a bit weak from my accident."

"Sure sir."

"Call me Hawkeye."

So Bridget helped Hawkeye with is bags down to the lobby filled with everything rooster.

"Looks like your mother likes roosters."

She gave an annoyed sigh. "As if our house hadn't had enough roosters she had to get an inn and _fill_ it with roosters."

"You live here?"

"No, but my parents do. I live in my childhood home with a roommate and we pay rent. So at least now I could decide to decorate any way I want."

"How much do I owe?"

Bridget looked in the ledger and quickly added up the amount. "175."

Hawkeye gave her 200 and said with a wink. "And keep the change."

Bridget gave him a smile and left to help her mother who had called her from the kitchen. Margaret soon came after Bridget had left and took Hawkeye home with her.

"Do you know where a person named Bridget lives?"

The same smile from in the hospital gave light to Margaret's face. "I'm not sure."

"Yes, you do. You're smiling."

Margaret's face turned into stone. "Who's smiling? I wasn't smiling."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't. Maybe you should have gotten the doctor to check your eyes."

Hawkeye sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't know then, but soon he would find out more than was needed about the inn keeper's daughter.

I'm sorry if Hawkeye's little trauma there was a bit short but I wasn't sure what else could happen there while he was recovering.

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews from my loyal readers!

And what's with all this secret smiling of Margaret's? Find out in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Margaret drove down the driveway singing to her radio

Margaret drove down the driveway singing to her radio. "Some days you gotta dance, live it up when you get the chance, when the world ain't making no sense…"

"Do you really have to do that? I don't like country as it is. Now it sounds like there's a dieing cat singing along."

Margaret frowned. "That was uncalled for Hawkeye."

"I'm sorry but 20 minutes of listening to you sing as loud as you can in a confined space plus to bad music is more than a sane man can take."

"So you're not sane then?"

"Who ever said I was after that damn war?"

Margaret pulled up to the house took a look at the house before starting to search for her keys then took a double back and swore.

Hawkeye looked at where she was looking and gave a low whistle. "_That's _your room-mate?"

"Unfortunately yes. I keep telling her to get shades or at least blinds to put over her windows."

They watched as Margaret's roommate looked frantically around her room searching for something and when kneeling over to look through the chest at the end of her bed the towel around her slipped off. Hawkeye couldn't help but smile at this very suggestive looking woman. The woman didn't even bother to pick up the towel after she had found what she was looking for. She stood up and started to pull on her clothes that she had laid out. When she stood up Hawkeye couldn't help but notice several tattoos in various otherwise hidden parts of her body. There was a royal blue crescent moon on her right hip and a red pentagram on the lower left part of her pelvis.

As the very revealing woman pulled on her dress Margaret caught Hawkeye's eye and glared coldly at him. "Stop it."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Close your mouth and roll up your tongue before I find a better place for them." With that Margaret got out of the car and slammed her door and stomped up to the door. She let herself in and left Hawkeye to his own devices.

Hawkeye shrugged to himself. He couldn't help it, it was just the way he was. He couldn't keep himself from appraising the way a woman looks. He slowly made his way to the door and walked into the house of women.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Margaret showed Hawkeye his room to the east with a view of the backyard and the woods. He set his bags on the bed and made his way to the living room where Margaret was beating a pillow into place.

"I think it's had enough Margaret."

Margaret looked at him with her frosty green eyes. "You could have looked away you know."

"You could have too."

Margaret stood with her mouth gaping utterly speechless. She opened her mouth to let out a torrent of abuse when her roommate walked in putting on a pair of earrings.

"Margaret? I thought I heard you pull up. So this is this your infamous surgeon?"

Hawkeye turned toward the voice that sounded oddly familiar.

"Bridget?"

"Hawkeye?"

Bridget gave a laugh. "Margaret you did this on purpose, right? You didn't tell me his nickname only his first name or else I wouldn't have had to change into something so special."

Hawkeye looked her up and down and thought that she was defiantly dressed up specially. She wore a form fitting blue dress that showed off her curves nicely and had an amber pendant with matching earrings.

Margaret gave a smile and a wink. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Why wouldn't have you have changed into something special?" asked Hawkeye acting wounded.

"I would have at least worn something more comfortable." She tugged at the top of the dress to keep it from slipping and Hawkeye noticed a trinity knot on the web of her right hand.

"Where'd you get the knot?" he asked indicating the tattoo with his head.

"One spring break…"

"In the Bahamas?"

"No, one spring break my mom proposed that if everyone in my family agreed we would all get tattoos including her. We actually talked my dad into going so I got this, my brother a dragon, my mother some barbed wire around her forearm, my dad a back end of a cow."

"Barbed wire? Back end of a cow?"

"My mom being a city slicker loved the whole hick thing. And my dad raises cows for the slaughter and it sums up what he thinks about the job as being the only worker even when he's 63."

"And I thought my family was odd," he muttered.

Bridget gave a shrug, "We all think that about our families." She rubbed her hands together. "So where we eating?"

"Scovies. We're meeting the gang there," answered Margaret. "Just let me change."

Several minutes later Margaret came back wearing a grass green gauze dress that fit loosely but fit snugly enough on all the right places. She had a bronze beech leaf hanging near her breast with matching earrings also.

"Aren't I a lucky man to go with two beautiful women," said Hawkeye after a low whistle as they posed for him.

They giggled like two teenage girls and ushered him out the door and took Bridget's dark blue Chevy pickup. Hawkeye sat between the women and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. It wasn't like he hadn't had a threesome before but these two gals seemed so lively he couldn't help but think about who he was going to try to get into bed first.

Both were very sexy in and out of clothes. They both had nice personalities. Margaret was more stubborn and fiery as him but Bridget had a childlike quality that reminded him slightly like Radar but also had a nice twinkle in her eyes that hinted something.

Who to bed first? Who?

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They meet everyone every one at a restaurant near Lake Michigan at one of the only fancy places to eat they had in Charlevoix. Darrell, Michaela, Sandra and Matt were there all ready. They spent the whole evening drinking, eating, talking, laughing and dancing.

When the band started up Hawkeye got up and asked Bridget like a true gentleman, "May I please have this dance m' lady?"

She accepted his hand and he twirled her onto the dance floor where Darrell and Michaela were already dancing.

"You dance very well Hawkeye," said Bridget sashaying with the music.

"So do you Bridget," said Hawkeye giving a big dip and he couldn't help but enjoy the sight her strapless dress was giving at the moment.

"Will you stop looking at my breasts and look at me?"

"Who me? Never." Hawkeye brought her back up then twirled her out then into him. He placed a hand on her hip and whispered. "I wouldn't ever dream of it." His hand started tracing lazy circles on her hip as he swayed gently in rhythm with the slow song the band had just started.

"I hope not because I have been known for this nasty habit of busting the 'equipment' of several men for such acts of scandalous watching."

"Really? And were you attracted to any of the said men?"

"And you think I'm attracted to you?"

"I never said anything. Remember you did." He nibbled her ear seductively.

Bridget gave a slight shiver. "Don't Hawkeye. That drives me crazy."

"Well, that's something I could possibly use on you later."

"I don't think so." Bridget tore herself from his arms. "I need a drink." She gave him a wink than sashayed her way to the bar and got a mojito.

"Oh, Lordy," he muttered than made his way to the table where Margaret sat watching the dancers.

As he sat down she asked without looking, "She dumped you?"

"No, I decided she was luring me in too easily so I decided to play hard to get." He watched with her for a few seconds, then asked, "You're not dancing?"

"I don't feel like it."

"Well, then I'll just have to take you." He got up and pulled her onto the dance floor before she could protest.

The band did a fast tune and he twirled her up and down the floor. The couples parted to give them some room as he dipped her several times. After a few more songs like that and Margaret had thought about just falling just so they could stop, the band played a slow song. She sighed in relief. At least she could do that. She put her arms around his neck and he placed his hands a little to low for comfort on her back. She thought about telling him to knock it off but decided she rather liked what his fingers were doing. They were giving the small of her back a rather deep massage making her feel more relaxed.

"Having fun?" he whispered in her ear.

"Hmm? Yeah, I guess so."

"You guess? Either you are you aren't."

"I am. Happy now?"

"Only if I could persuade you or Bridget out of your lovely little panties. Or both of you at the same time. I'm not too picky."

She shook her head up at heaven. "Why did I ask?"

He chuckled. "I would have thought after 3 years of working together that you would have known me by now."

"I don't think part of you perverted fantasy is going to work out." She inclined her head to behind him and her turned and found Bridget in the arms of a dark-red haired Romeo. "That's Rudolph Russell, one of the doctors at the hospital."

"I just hope for his sake that he doesn't try anything."

"You're going to try something in your condition?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Bridget told me of her habit of busting certain 'equipment' of men who are looking for only one thing."

"Well, then how come hasn't she done anything to you yet?"

"She finds me attractive," he sniffed.

"She said that," she said sounding doubtful.

"You don't find me attractive?" he asked innocently.

And of course at the moment he decided to look into her eyes with his amazing cerulean eyes that she could just get lost in. Something fluttered in her stomach and her mouth felt dry.

"I'm sorry but I need a drink."

So that night Hawkeye had managed to scare away two dance partners. Doesn't look like he'll be getting lucky tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's the next chapter ya'll! I'm sorry I was a bit late with these last two chapters. My Aunt Debbie's been up and we've had to entertain her the whole time she was here. Hope you enjoy!

Everyone had a good time dancing the night away

Everyone had a good time dancing the night away. Hawkeye kept an eye on Bridget and Rudolph. Lucky for Rudolph he didn't try too much because Hawkeye was feeling a bit protective of her. She was just too much like Radar. Maybe that was why Margaret liked her. Maybe she was trying to make up for all that she had done to the poor guy. But she wasn't too much like Radar that he wouldn't like to have a romantic evening with her though.

Margaret pretty much ignored him for half the night but after a few more drinks she spent the night dancing with him. She had a lovely twinkle in her eyes and she wasn't afraid to bust some moves. When the band played a tango she really got into it and pulled Hawkeye along the dance floor. She even did some not so lady like dancing much to the amusement of Hawkeye and the rest of the gang.

Somewhere around 1 in the morning they finally got home and they all instantly fell asleep when they're heads hit the pillows.

The next morning Hawkeye got up early and made breakfast for them. He didn't have a major headache because of the lack of alcohol last night. (He had to be the designated driver.) So he made them pancakes on a griddle he had found. Margaret and Bridget drifted into the kitchen groggily and poured themselves some coffee.

"Good morning ladies."

Margaret clutched her head and groaned, "Ohhh. Don't talk so loud Hawkeye."

"Good morning Hawkeye," said Bridget cheerfully. Margaret clutched her head again.

"If you guys don't quiet down I'll have to leave."

"Sorry, Margaret."

Margaret sat down at the counter and stared into her mug.

"How come you don't have a hangover like the wonderful lady here Bridget?"

She shrugged. "I don't get hangovers. It's the same thing with my mother. No matter how much she drank she always felt okay the next morning."

"Shh."

"Sorry, Margaret."

"I'm leaving." Margaret got up and took a plate that Hawkeye had been holding with pancakes on it.

"Hey, that was mine!"

But Margaret had already disappeared into the other room clutching her stolen plunder.

"So what are you going to do today?" asked Bridget peering from the rim of her cup.

He shrugged. "I don't have anything planned. You?"

"I have the day off. Would you like to do something today?"

"Like what?"

She grinned a bit evilly. "It'll be a surprise."

"How come I have feeling I'm not going to like it?"

"Common sense?"

So they had breakfast talking about what they did for a living. Hawkeye of course was the Chief Surgeon in Portland, Maine. He lived with his dad in Crabapple Cove and wasn't going out steady with anyone.

She was a secretary to one of the doctors at the hospital and worked part-time at her mother's Inn and liked to write stories in her free time. This surprised Hawkeye and he asked if he could read some of her stuff but she shook her head blushing

"No, you wouldn't want to read any of it. Some of it's too disgusting or lovey-dovey."

He kept persisting so she went and got her notebook. When he finished reading he looked up at her with a big grin. She looked away blushing knowing what story he had read.

"I don't believe it's lovey-dovey. Have you often fantasized about doing something like this?"

She blushed even more and quietly took back her notebook. "I don't know."

"I think you do."

She was then relieved of the conversation when Margaret came back into the room not groaning as much.

"Not bad Hawkeye." She noticed him smiling, then Bridget blushing with the notebook.

"You showed him your stories? Which one did he read?"

Bridget told her the title and Margaret smiled at her. "You shouldn't have let him read that. Now he's going to be hounding you all day about it." She put her plate away and turned to them. "Well good luck with him Bridget. You're going to need it." And with that Margaret left them alone in a house by themselves.

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After cleanup and the farm chores (feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs) they got into Bridget's pickup and headed down the highway. They pulled off onto a road that badly needed to be paved and drove up a driveway to a red barn with an M on it.

"Here we are."

"And where is here?" asked Hawkeye with slight disgust. He could see and smell the odor here and he didn't want to get out.

"Margherio Farms over 800 acres of farming fun. This is where my dad works. We're here to help him that is if the smell doesn't offend you." She could see him wrinkling his nose and couldn't help teasing him about it.

"You work here too?"

"I just help him on my days off. My brother helps too but it's a great way for bonding time."

She got out of the truck and led Hawkeye to the cow barn where her dad and brother were lifting buckets into the trough for the cows on the other side. She introduced them and went to work. They stayed until lunch helping with the work and talking about the seasons. Hawkeye learned that being a farmer was more than just driving a tractor and got to ride in one with Bridget driving. She almost scared him when it looked like she was going to run over with the tractor before he had gotten on.

Hawkeye and Bridget packed some sandwiches and some cokes and got back into her truck. They went down the road a bit and turned off onto another road. From the top of a hill Hawkeye could see a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. They drove down the road until they got a little grass park but below the park was a beach with some large boulders making a sheltered cove.

It was looking a bit overcast but they walked down between the boulders and set up a picnic. They sat in silence for a while chewing on their sandwiches and watching the waves come in.

"I hope you didn't bring me here for some wicked purpose," joked Hawkeye.

Bridget raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? Like what?"

"Maybe like in your story."

Bridget blushed just like Hawkeye had wanted her to. "Am I ever going to live that down?"

"Probably not."

They sat for a moment before Bridget stood up smiled down at him with a wicked grin, shed her dress and ran into the waves where she started to swim to a sandbar a ways away from the shore. (She planned to go swimming so she has a swimsuit on.)

Hawkeye sat stunned a moment before he stood up, stripped down to his boxers and followed her into the cold water. He quickly caught up with her. (Remember he lives on the ocean.) She saw that he had followed her gave him another smile and dove under. He followed her and when he came up he couldn't see her. He shouted her name but no answer. He started to turn but his head was soon dunked under again.

He came up spluttering and could hear Bridget's laughter. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry I just couldn't help it. It was too tempting," she said between fits of laughter.

"Do unto others as you want onto you," quoted Hawkeye. He tried to dunk her under but she just stuck her tongue out at him and swam away. He kept trying to dunk her but she just kept daunting him.

"Come here."

"Why? So you could dunk me under? I don't think so."

"No, I'm not going to do that."

"Right. Then why are you chasing me?"

Hawkeye stopped. "Okay, I'm not chasing you now."

"I don't know. You could be just setting a trap for me." She put her finger to her chin and pretended to be in deep thought. "Okay. I'm trusting you to your word." She swam toward him just to have him dunk her under.

She went under without protest and when she came back up she was smiling about some private joke. That was when Hawkeye could see what she was holding in her hand.

"Give those back to me!" he said while trying to cover himself.

"Why?" she asked saucily.

"Because they're mine."

"Oh, okay. I suppose I could give them back to you." She gave him back his boxer shorts and watched with interest, while he tried to get them on in the water.

Finally he got them on and turned to her with a grin. "Do onto others as you want onto others."

"If you try that Hawkeye Pierce I'm sorry to say that I would have to leave you here in the lake and let you _walk_ back to the house, which is 6 miles away mostly uphill," she said lifting her chin defiantly.

"I won't try it I promise."

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to your word this time. Race you to the sandbar."

She took off with Hawkeye literally on her heels trying to drag her down.

"Stop, Hawkeye! I'm not that good a swimmer!"

Hawkeye let go but she took off again laughing. Hawkeye caught up with her at the sandbar. She stood in a few inches of water with her hands on her hips laughing at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked grumpily. He didn't like to lose at anything.

"Your face when I took off." She sat down and patted the water next to her. He sat down planted his hands behind him with his legs spread in front of him. "Cheer up Hawkeye maybe I'll let you beat me back to the beach."

He grumbled and looked away. She watched him for a moment before leaning over and kissing the corner of his mouth. His head snapped towards her direction with a puzzled look.

"The loser's compensation."

He gave a smile and asked innocently, "Is that it?"

She smiled at him leaned in again and started to kiss him hard. He kissed her back hungrily and put a hand behind her neck to keep her steady. Her hand began to travel across his chest exploring until it wound up at his hip where it was playing with the waistband of his boxer shorts. He laid on his back pulling her on top of him and let his hands explore her. They started to play with the stings of her top when they heard shouting from the beach. Bridget jumped off of him as they spied a mother and two little children shouting at them that the beach was a family beach and to take their hanky panky elsewhere.

Blushing Bridget swam back to where her clothes were and slipped them back on. She quietly assured the woman that they didn't know anyone else was there but the mother just huffed and continued to watch her kids. Hawkeye met up with Bridget in the truck and they left to go back to the house.

As they got inside the house she said, "Well, that was embarrassing."

"What?" asked Hawkeye broken out of his daydream about what could have happened if the woman hadn't been there.

"That down at the beach. That was Mrs. Glover the head of the Historical Society in Norwood. And get your head out of your daydream. We aren't there anymore." She put her things down and announced she was going to her room with a cock of an eyebrow in Hawkeye's direction before disappearing down the hall to the master bedroom.

Hawkeye took the hint and followed her like a puppy. He stood in the doorway and looked around at her room. The walls were bluish green along with a dark green carpet. The walls were covered in pictures of supernatural drawings and paintings. There were a few dressers and a bookcase. There was a door leading off to the master bathroom and one leading into a walk in closet. Then on top of a sea green comforter on a canopy bed laid out waiting for him was Bridget.

She still had her dress on and was smiling at him sweetly. He smiled back and sat on the bed when she sat up.

"Do you think we could try some of the stuff in your story?"

Bridget blushed and Hawkeye realized she blushed a lot. "Maybe we should see how far things get."

He smiled at her reassuringly, took her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly. They fell back onto the covers kissing hungrily and exploring each other. She got his shirt off and he her dress and tasted the new flesh that was offered. He tasted of lake water and cologne. She tasted of lake water and chocolate soap. He made a trail of kisses down her neck and along her collarbone making her give a sigh of content. She nibbled his ear and heard him moan around her neck. She pressed her body onto his and felt the returning pressure.

"Hel-lo Hawk-eye," she said huskily.

Just then rain started to pour from the sky and the rain on the skylight in the bathroom next door made a sturdy beat to keep time to their beating hearts.

She started to unbutton his pants when a yellow streak of light appeared in the window behind them accompanied by a thunderous boom. She froze and when the next lightening strike came to light Hawkeye could see that her eyes were wide and that her chest was heaving whether in fright or passion he wasn't sure.

Just then a streak of black ran onto the bed and curled up into her stomach between her and him.

"Salem! Where's Delilah and Percy?" She was answered by another streak of brown and a low, black and white animal waddling as fast as it's little legs would let it.

"You have cats?"

"Yeah, does that surprise you?" She bent and picked up the little waddling creature.

"What kind of cat is that?" he asked inclining his head to the animal she was cuddling.

"This isn't a cat. This is Percy my skunk."

"Skunk?! You have a skunk?"

"Yes, I hope that doesn't bother you." She couldn't help but give a smile at his face. It was priceless. He looked surprised and disgusted at the same time.

"Don't worry the canal where the stink spray comes from is plugged up. And he's de-clawed. You want to hold him?" She held him up so Hawkeye could hold him. He shook his head and she laughed and set Percy down on the bed next to her where it started to curl up.

She started to scratch Percy's ears and said, "I've been hoping to get him a girl but so far I haven't been able to find a female around his age. I'm hoping in naming her Carmilla after the vampire who could withstand sunlight."

"How old is he?" Despite the weirdness of her having a skunk as a pet he was intrigued about the little fella.

"Just a year."

Hawkeye nodded his head and looked out the window to see a flash of lightening. Bridget gave a squeal and he looked back at her and saw her clutching the black cat Salem who was trying to get away. When she saw that he was watching her she sheepishly let go of the cat and smiled as Salem curled up indignantly at her feet.

"I just don't like thunderstorms. I'm a bit skittish. As a kid anytime someone just appeared from around a corner or a door I always gave a yelp. It was quite embarrassing."

"I know someone like that."

"Who?"

"This kid from Iowa named Walter O'Rielly but we called him Radar."

"From the 4007th?" I believe Margaret told me about him once. She said she had kept giving him a hard time and now she wishes she could have taken back some of the things she had done."

"Then how come she never tried to contact someone? We all gave each other our addresses before we left Korea to contact each other when we got back to the States." He laid down on his side with his head propped up by his arm and waited as if it was going to be a long story.

Bridget opened her mouth to reply but shut it again. "You're going to have to ask her that yourself."

"Really? I'm sure I can get it out of you."

"How? Torture me?"

"Maybe this." With that Hawkeye leaned over and kissed her deep.

They fell back onto the bed and when they came up for air she whispered, "I don't think so."

"Maybe I'll just have to try again." He kissed her again cradling her face in his hands. The cats and the skunk moved out of the way and watched them unblinkingly kiss each other softly and deep. (At least the cats did. The skunk just curled up and went to sleep.)

As the thunder and lightening split the sky they moved in closer to each other seeking for something to satisfy their hunger.

Just then a call rang through the house, "Bridget? Hawkeye? Anyone home?"

"Margaret? We're back here," Bridget answered. Then to Hawkeye she said, "Put your shirt back on." She quickly put her dress back on which looked wrinkled and didn't quite portray the look of innocence.

Margaret came into the room with a bucket of chicken for dinner and found them sitting on Bridget's bed with the cats and the skunk talking.

"So how was your day you guys?"

Bridget and Hawkeye shared a quick glance and answered with twin smiles, "Uneventful. We went to the farm and to the beach then we came back here."

Margaret spotted how wrinkled Bridget's dress and didn't think that was all that happened. Of course what else would Hawkeye do when left alone with an attractive woman? Margaret just secretly hoped that she could get Hawkeye to herself one of these days by himself.

"Well whatever happened. I have a day off this week and I'll show you around the country and city if there's time."

"Sure." Hawkeye had a feeling that wasn't all that she had in mind. They haven't seen each other for three years after all. "I'm looking forward to it," he said with one of his infamous grins.

Margaret quickly left the room lest her knees give out from under her. She swore to herself and started dinner. Why did she have to say that to provoke him? Now he's thinking I just want him alone. Of course I do but I don't want anyone to know that except when it came to it.

She sighed when she heard Bridget squeal when Hawkeye tickled her. She just hoped she could find the courage to tell Hawkeye what she had kept secret for so long ever since they had first met in the mess tent at the 4077th.

"I love you Hawkeye," she whispered quietly to herself and called the others to dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a few days before Margaret's day off so Hawkeye had a few days to himself

It was a few days before Margaret's day off so Hawkeye had a few days to himself. He mostly explored the house and the 18 acres it was on. When he went into the woods he could stones bordering something that looked like pathways throughout the whole woods and branches weaved together to make some sort of walls around these little buildings that looked decrepit. He was mildly interested and decided to ask Bridget about them later.

He acquainted himself with the 11 hens and rooster of the chicken house. He did some chores around the house and slowly got back some of his strength. He started taking walks down the backcountry roads and met some of the neighbors. Some didn't approve of him living with the girls but he said he was perfectly trustworthy with the neighborhood pets. (The girls were the neighborhood dolls and everyone watched out for them.)

On Margaret's day off Bridget left them with a wink in their direction as they sat sipping their coffee and eating toast. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do Margaret," she called as she stepped out the door.

"Now doesn't that sound familiar," said Hawkeye thinking of his favorite tent mates from the Korean War.

Margaret crunched thoughtfully on her toast before throwing down the crust. "Don't forget I want to show you around the neighboring town and villages." She left in a hurry to get ready and left Hawkeye shaking his head at the woman who thought he couldn't remember the highlight of his week.

An hour or so later Margaret finally came out wearing a simple red sundress, an opal pendent with matching earrings and bracelet. She twirled around and let the full skirt of the skirt fan out along with her, which she had kept down and had brushed it smooth.

Hawkeye gave a low whistle as the skirt flared up and he could see her legs. He looked her up and down appraisingly and couldn't help but say, "Margaret you look stunning."

"Thanks. You don't look that bad yourself."

Hawkeye got his jacket and Margaret got her purse and they got into Margaret's car and headed out.

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They stopped first at Atwood the Adorable and stopped at the small grocery store and bought their lunch for later. They stopped at Friske Orchards and shopped around the store and the Country Haus. Then they headed to Ellsworth and looked around at the tiny shops in the small business district.

After that they went to Charlevoix and Margaret gave Hawkeye the tour of Charlevoix the Beautiful. They strolled downtown and gazed in at all the shops and stopped at Murdick's for some of their famous fudge. Margaret pointed out the three plazas where you could buy your groceries. Then they headed back to Atwood and down to Banks Township beach. There they ate their lunch and fudge, which was a bit soft.

As they gazed out over the water Margaret said, "Can you see the islands over there?" She pointed to the landmasses ahead of them. "That's the North and South Fox Islands."

"Are there a lot of foxes on the island, both male and female ones?"

Margaret shot him a look at the female fox suggestion and answered, "I don't know. I've never been there."

They sat in silence for a while in silence for a moment as the sky got clouded over and the sun was blocked out. Margaret finally noticed that it was a bit dark and decided that they should get back home.

On the way back to the house Hawkeye decided that this wasn't exactly the adventure that he had thought would happen. He thought there would have been at least a kiss in there somewhere but nothing had happened yet. He rested his head on his hand and looked out the window at the scenery as it flew past.

Margaret stole a glance in Hawkeye's direction for a second before concentrating on the road again. Why hasn't he pulled a move yet? She had been hoping they would have been more passion to their day out but all she had was a big fat nothing.

They got back to the house and quietly unpacked the car of their day out. Almost as soon as they had gotten into the house the rain started to pour. Hawkeye grumbled something about the stupid Michigan weather and he and she put their things in their rooms.

When he came out she was at the door with her eyes alight with delight. He walked up behind her and peered out the window wondering what was making her so happy when she asked, "Have you ever danced in the rain?"

"What?"

"Have you ever danced in the rain?" she repeated turning to him. She looked so much like a little kid Hawkeye couldn't help but give her a little smile.

He shrugged. "Probably when I was a kid."

She smiled and opened the door. "Then, come on." She grasped his hand and tugged him outside into the rain. She went out into the backward and stood with her arms stretched as if she was embracing the rain clouds and let the rain fall onto her letting herself get wet. She started twirling around and around laughing with simple delight.

Hawkeye watched her through his dripping wet hair as she danced in the rain. This was crazy, who ever heard of an adult dancing in the rain? He was starting to get uncomfortable because he was just standing there in the rain staring at her as she twirled around.

She stopped near the back porch and looked up at him expectantly. "Come on Hawkeye, dance with me."

"Are you sure you don't want to come inside instead? You can catch a cold out here."

"Come on Hawkeye," she whined.

He finally broke. He couldn't say no to her beautiful face especially when she was pouting. He climbed down and decided to humor her. He bowed and swept her into his arms like as if he was at a stately dance and started to dance across the large yard. She laughed and let him lead her around and around the yard until she was dizzy.

They stopped near the edge of the woods panting slightly from the exertion. They looked deep into each other's eyes and leaned into each other and gave a simple kiss. They pulled apart and looked for a sign about whether to go farther. They saw what they were looking for and Margaret pulled his face closer and gave him a thorough kiss. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her so close you could hardly tell where his clothes started and hers began.

When they came back for air Margaret gave him a smile, took his hand and led him into the woods and stopped near a big oak with moss growing at the foot of the trunk. She sat down and patted next to her. Hawkeye laid down and Margaret leaned over and kissed him lightly. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him. There they started to kiss each other with so much passion that they almost burst with it. She pulled his shirt over his head and he started to kiss her neck.

When he got to her sweet spot she called huskily, "Oh, Cernunnos!"

Hawkeye thought that odd but continued to kiss her neck while he got lower and lower down her neckline. She sat on his stomach and held his head to her bosoms feeling this strong urge in her abdomen. She started to unbutton his pants and pull them down when she realized what she was doing. She stopped and crawled off of him.

He looked at her with a crazy look on his face. He did back up his pants and put his shirt back on when he saw that it looked like she was going to start crying.

"What's the matter Margaret?" he asked as he put his arms around her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said through the tears streaming down her face.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay baby," he said soothingly.

She calmed down and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry Hawkeye. I can't do that now."

"It's okay. It's not the only thing I want to do with you."

"Like what?"

"Just sit and hold you."

She smiled at him and snuggled in his arms. "I can do that."

They sat a moment just listening to the rain hit the leaves above them and thinking their own thoughts.

Finally Hawkeye couldn't hold it in anymore, "So how come you haven't gotten in contact with anyone from the 4077th?"

"Why do you keep bringing that up?" she asked angrily.

"What? This is the first time."

"No, it isn't. Maybe I don't want to talk about it."

Hawkeye turned her around so he was looking in her face trying to piece together the puzzle that was the woman he loved. "Oh, come on I've got to know. So, what am I supposed to tell the others? They're all worried about you. I'm worried about you."

She glared at him. "I'm not going to tell you. I'm not going to tell anyone." While she said this he couldn't help but notice that her hand went instinctively to her stomach.

"Why not?" he asked feeling his anger rise up. He didn't have to come here. He didn't have to put up with this.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, least of all you!" she yanked herself out of his arms and stood up. "Why don't you leave? You only came here as everyone else's messenger boy. I'll keep my business to myself. My business is my own!" And with that she stomped off back to the house. She didn't stop to dance in the rain but slammed the door shut.

Hawkeye shook his head in anger. There was no way he going to put up with this. As soon as he got in he was calling the airport and leaving this Wolverine state.

Margaret slammed her bedroom door and leaned against the door and let the tears fall down her face. What was his problem? Why couldn't he take a hint that she didn't want to talk about it? She placed her hand on her stomach. Why couldn't he tell she wasn't ready?


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to put this up! School's just been hectic! Well I hope you enjoy this!

Hawkeye waited a moment before going back to the house

Hawkeye waited a moment before going back to the house. He didn't want to see her as he packed. When he got in the door of her room was shut and he thought he could hear something happening in there. He went to his room and packed his things then went to the phone and got the next flight back to Maine.

He was just about to leave when I thought came to him. He took a pad of paper and a pen and wrote down all the information of the people who wanted to talk to her. He left the pad near the phone so Margaret could see it clearly.

He put his things in the rental he had gotten when his first one had been totaled and drove to Traverse City where he got on his plane and left Michigan he thought forever.

As he was flying over Lake Huron Bridget came back home and found Margaret in her room crying. She tried to comfort her but Margaret said she wanted to be alone. Bridget tried finding Hawkeye but to no avail. She found a note by the phone addressed to her saying that he was going home and that if she needed someplace to go in Maine that his house was open to her. It didn't say why he had left but she assumed him and Margaret had had a row.

When Margaret finally came out of her room after smelling her favorite comfort food coming from the kitchen. She went into the kitchen and found Bridget backing a fresh loaf of rye bread. As she passed the phone she saw the list and scowled. Hawkeye must have left it for her. Well maybe later she'll call them but not now.

Everything went back to normal in everyone's lives except of course B.J. and his growing family. After a few days Margaret finally got the nerve and called Potter.

Potter was certainly was surprised when he had thought Hawkeye hadn't gotten through to her. At least that was what Hawkeye had said. They had a little chat about what had happened to them after the war. When the conversation turned to Hawkeye's visit Margaret drew a sharp breath and said she didn't want to talk about it so Potter left that alone. When she had hung up Potter called B.J. who called everyone else that Margaret was talking to them again.

The news was taken well and everyone just hoped she would stay in contact with them this time. Hawkeye started to withdraw into himself as the news of Margaret spread like wildfire along the phone lines.

Father Mulcahy called Hawkeye about a month after his visit with Margaret hoping to ease Hawkeye's feelings. Hawkeye sounded strained on the line and very subtly Mulcahy brought up the subject of Margaret.

"Will you just leave me alone about her?!" exploded Hawkeye. He hated it that everyone was pressing him about his visit. Then he realized whom he talking to and grumbled an apology.

"I'm sorry Hawkeye. But everyone's so worried about you. We know something went bad during your visit but sometimes talking can help you."

Hawkeye held back a sharp retort. Then he remembered something during his little adventure with Margaret under the oak in the woods.

"Father do you know what Cernunnos is?"

"Cernunnos?" repeated Mulcahy wondering where that came from. "I believe that is the Celtic god of physical love. I'm part Irish you know."

Hawkeye said nothing but it explained Margaret's outcry. She obviously wanted to make love but for some reason she just couldn't. He continued his conversation with Mulcahy dully until Mulcahy took the hint and ended the call.

Hawkeye stood a moment staring at the phone a moment in a daze before he climbed the stairs to his room. Daniel came into the house oblivious of what had happened whistling and sorting through the mail when he found a heavy letter addressed to Hawkeye. He stopped whistling and looked at the postmark. It said Michigan and he got his hopes up that it might be from Margaret but it had a different name in the return address. A Bridget Potter. He shrugged and put the mail near the phone hoping to remember to tell Hawkeye about it when he got up.

But Daniel didn't remember to tell Hawkeye about the letter and a few days later a knock came at the door. Hawkeye heard it from the den, which was right next to the door and yelled to his dad in the kitchen that he would get it. Thinking it was one of their friends come to have a drink he finished his work and took his time to answer the door. When he opened the door he was quite surprised about who was standing on his porch carrying a bag and a sour look on her face.

"Took you long enough to answer the door. I was almost thinking I had the wrong house." Then she smiled and said, "I'm glad to see you Hawkeye," and gave him a hug.

He hugged her back with surprise and pulled away. "Are you staying with us?" He looked pointedly at her bag and she looked at him confused.

"Didn't you get my letter? I said I was coming over for a weekend and you had said I could come over anytime I was in Maine. So here I am."

Hawkeye smiled a wry smile and politely asked her in. He told her to stay in the front hall as he had something to ask his dad. As he went farther into the house she could hear him say loudly, "Dad, did I by any chance get a letter in the past few days?"

Then she heard a voice say, "Opps. I'm sorry son but I tried to remember. I put it near the phone in the front hall." She tried to hear more but they were way in the back of the house now.

As she waited she started to study what she could see of the house, which wasn't much because most of the doors were closed. She stood in a hall that to the right had a flight of stairs that went up. There was a door between the stairs and the front door and four on the left in a row. The walls were painted a light tan and had dark wood moldings. There was a small table that had a phone and a huge pile of mail that looked like it badly needed to be sorted. There were several drawings in frames on the wall and she stepped closer to one to get a better look at it.

It was a drawing in charcoal of a baby wrapped in a blanket waving its fists. It looked like a happy baby and had a huge toothless grin on its face. The one to the right of the first drawing was of a sea landscape in watercolor with huge sheer cliffs and waves crashing on the beach. Then the third picture was obviously by a different artist of a woman laughing in pen. As she searched for names for the pictures she heard an 'ahm' behind her and found Hawkeye standing there fidgeting.

"Who did these pictures? They're great."

"My mom did the first two and I did the last. I didn't want it up there but my dad won the privilege at a poker game of hanging it."

"Wow, I didn't know you could draw. It's really good. Who is it?"

"My mom." He looked sad a moment before he smiled and bowed. "I'll show you to your room m 'lady."

She giggled like a schoolgirl and let him lead her up the stairs and into the room farthest down the hall. It was next door to his and then after that was Daniel's and then the bathroom. When she stepped inside the room she gave a small gasp. The room was painted a powder blue with more dark wood moldings. The bed was a dark wood canopy with plush dark blue curtains. The comforter was blue silk and had chocolate accent pillows. Then on the far wall were some French doors that lead out onto a small balcony that looked out over the ocean. She thought it was beautiful and said so to Hawkeye.

Hawkeye gave a small smile and left her to set her things up in the room. Bridget sat on the bed and wondered why there is such a luxurious room in a home of two bachelors. Maybe one of them had had a little room makeover streak at one time. Well whatever it was doing here it was certainly gorgeous. She sighed and hoped that he had read the letter before she had showed up. She had wanted him to at least think about what she had told him in the letter before she came so he could have some questions well thought up. Oh, well soon after reading the letter he's going to come and ask her how. She shook her head and started to unpack.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for all your support! I'm so sorry its taken me so long to write these last two chapters. School has just been so hectic and all. All of a sudden thry dump a load of homework on us and I've joined several organiztions at school. But I hope to not take so long from now on as long as I get a few hours each week to type something up for you. I hope you enjoy!!!!!

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After he had left Bridget to unpack Hawkeye went downstairs to the mail. He searched through the pile until he found the heavy envelope from Bridget and went into the den to read it. He sat into an overstuffed faded blue armchair with the back to the window and unfolded the thick paper.

_Dear Hawkeye,_

_I hope your doing fine in Maine. I'm doing great. Everyone wishes you well and tell me to tell you hi, Sandra and Michaela especially. _

_I have some wonderful news. Michaela and Darrell are getting married! He asked her just a few days ago when we were all out having dinner at a local café. It was nicely done. He must have talked with the owner of the place before hand because when her dessert came out the waiter holding the plate was Dave Eggebrecht her favorite fiddler in her favorite band Horton Creek. Then the rest of the band came out and Cindy Boss said Darrell wanted to ask her something. Then Darrell got down on one knee and proposed. Of course she said yes and then Horton Creek sang us a quick song. It was quite nice and Michaela was just beaming. And they wanted to let me know I can invite you. They're looking forward to you coming._

_I'll be in Maine next weekend so watch out. I'll be at your doorstep sooner than you think. I've been meaning to take a vacation and a weekend on the coast sounds good. So, I'll be seeing you in a week._

_I hope this letter finds you well. Everyone says goodbye too._

_Love, Bridget_

_P.S. Margaret is getting married._

Hawkeye looked at the letter in surprise. Margaret is getting married? Then he felt an array of emotions: surprise, sadness, disbelief, regret, and finally stopping at anger . He took a deep breath and tried to tell himself that he didn't care about what happened to Margaret and that she was old enough to make her own decisions. Then he remembered who was upstairs in the guest bedroom and tried not to dash up the stairs.

Bridget was sitting on the bed staring into space when there was a knock at the door. She massaged her temples for a moment before saying come in.

"How come you didn't tell me she's getting married?" said Hawkeye with a venomous look in his eyes as he stormed into the room.

"I did. In the letter I told you she was. When I arrived I had hoped you had read the letter and have some questions before I got here. It's not my fault you didn't read it before."

"Who is she marrying?"

"Remember Rudolph?"

"Rudolph! That doctor you had danced with at that restaurant! She's marrying him!?"

She sadly nodded her head as Hawkeye started to franticly pace the room trying to relieve some of his frustration. "What was she thinking!? He is defiantly not good enough for her. She is way, way out of his league." He shook his head and started to mutter some dark curses.

"He's actually a nice guy. I'm his secretary and he's quite nice to me."

"I thought doctors went out with their secretaries not the nurses."

"Do you go out with your secretary?"

"No, she's my dad's age."

"Then you don't have to go out with your secretary."

"It's not the same."

"How?"

He opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He gave a great sigh and asked a question he was dreading. "When?"

"One month."

"Kind of quick isn't it?"

"She didn't want to wait."

Hawkeye sighed again and sat down on the bed. She moved closer to him and wrapped a comforting arm around him and placed her cheek on his shoulder. "I know it hurts. But you know there is still time for her to change her mind."

"But it sounds like she wants to hurry up and get hitched," he muttered now scoffing.

"Maybe you could change her mind. Come back to Michigan with me and just talk to her."

"I don't think so," he said as he quickly got up. "I'm not going to talk to her. If she wanted to talk she can call me." He went to storm out the room but before getting to the door turned and asked, "Are you happy for her?"

"Yes, but I think she's making the worst decision of her life."

He snorted and slammed the door. She flinched at the loud slam and gave a dejected sigh. It was going to be a long weekend. But she gave a sardonic smile; at least it had gone better than she had thought.

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During dinner Hawkeye seemed to have calm down a bit and introduced her to his Dad. Daniel welcomed her warmly and apologized for not giving Hawkeye the letter. He knew what was in the letter because before she had came down Hawkeye had filled him in.

She pushed her food around on her plate and when Daniel asked if she liked the food she said tiredly, "I'm sorry, it is good. It's just that I'm not really hungry at the time. You know flying on a plane and all."

She then excused herself and went upstairs to her room. Hawkeye felt a bit bad about exploding at her like that. It wasn't her fault about Margaret's wedding. He decided to make it up to her and told his Dad he would be back in half an hour if Bridget asked. Then he went and got his jacket and left the house to go to town.

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In about forty-five minutes Bridget was sitting with her back to the door when she heard a knock on the door and bid whoever it was to enter. She was a bit surprised when Hawkeye came in with a paper bag and smiled coyly at him.

"Are you coming back to yell at me again?" she asked.

"No, I wanted to make it up to you _for_ yelling at you." He smiled back at her and sat on the edge of the bed and she shifted across the bed to sit cross-legged beside him. He took out a container from the bag and held it up. "I brought you some ice cream. I've heard this is supposed to help any woman in a bad mood."

"Moose Tracks," she laughed as she saw the label on the carton.

"What?"

"How did you know that's my favorite ice cream?" she laughed again and he found that he rather licked it when she laughed. It sounded airy and light with no worry in the world.

He produced two spoons and opened the lid to reveal the chocolate, peanut butter, and vanilla goodness. She took a good spoonful and slipped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and let the ice cream melt in her mouth.

When she opened her eyes Hawkeye asked, "Is it good?"

She laughed and got another spoonful and he got one for himself. Then they started to fight for the better pieces of the ice cream with their spoons until most of it was gone. Hawkeye placed the carton on the bag that he had put on the nightstand and laid down on his back. He closed his eyes and patted his stomach.

"That was good."

"It was," said Bridget watching him breath.

She felt an urge to touch him and reached out her hand to run her hand through his hair when his hand reached up and grabbed her wrist. She gave a start because she wasn't expecting him to notice her hand. Then he pulled her arm down so she was dragged closer to him and near his face. His eyes remained closed but his mouth was turned up into a triumphant smile. Then he yanked on her arm making her lose her balance and making her lips fall onto his.

She could hear him give a chortle as his lips began to kiss her. She was a bit surprised at first because he had pulled her pretty much onto his face but she fell into the rhythm his lips set and shifted to become more comfortable. She traced his face with her free hand as he still held her other hand when she noticed what he was doing with her hand. She was so distracted in just kissing him that she hadn't noticed that he had placed her hand on his thigh and that her hand was rubbing it. She yanked her hand back and sat up blushing like crazy.

Hawkeye opened his eyes in confusion at the abrupt halt and noticed her blushing. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Then why did you stop?"

"Nothing." He sighed and sat up. She didn't want him to leave so soon so she said, "Wait."

He turned back and she lunged at him pulling him down on top of her on the bed. Now it was his turn to be surprised but he started to do what he did naturally and kissed her roughly back. She had her arms around his neck keeping him on top of her and could feel his heavy presence in more than one way. She smiled over his lips and started to wriggle under him, which just made them both excited. Hawkeye was just contemplating about going to the next stage when a yell came from downstairs.

"Hawkeye! Phone!"

Hawkeye sighed and got up off of her and smiled down at her. "Maybe next time." He left softly closing the door and quickly went downstairs to answer the phone.

Bridget propped herself up with her elbows and gave a sigh. Then flopped back and closed her eyes.

Downstairs Hawkeye picked up the phone and heard a familiar voice on the line. "No," he breathed.


	9. Chapter 9

I know this was pretty quick reaction time but don't be expecting this all the time. And I'm sorry it's so short. If I fit another scene into it it would have been to long for my tastes plus I like to leave you guys with a little something. ;)

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"Did I catch you in the middle of someone Hawk?" asked B.J. as soon as Hawkeye was on the phone. He couldn't think of another reason why Hawkeye would be breathing so heavily.

"No," breathed Hawkeye. He was a bit winded from the kissing and then running down the stairs. "Okay, maybe you did."

"Is it someone I know?"

"No."

"Well, I was just wondering when you're coming over. We're starting to get ready for the baby and we were wondering when we should get your room ready between all the baby stuff."

"Oh. That. Well I'm sort of busy this weekend…"

"With that woman I didn't catch you in the middle of?"

"Yeah. How about I call you later and let you know?"

"Sounds fine to me." There was a silence on his end of the phone before he asked, "So who is she?"

"A friend I made when I went to Michigan. She lives with Margaret," he said tightly trying to make it sound like it didn't bother him talking about her. "Her name's Bridget Potter."

"Mm. Hum. How old is she?"

"In her thirties."

"What does she do?"

"She's a secretary for a doctor."

"Do you like her?"

"What? Where did that come from?"

"Just wondering."

"Well of course I like her. If you knew her you couldn't help but like her. She's sort of like Radar but there is just something about her…"

"That grabs your attention? That's different?"

"Yes."

"Well then you can bring her along. I'm sure we can fix another room for her."

"I'll have to ask her."

"Sure. Just call me back to let me know if I'll be expecting one or two guests. See ya Hawk."

"See ya." Hawkeye hung up the phone and massaged his eyes. Oh, great. Now B.J. thought he was smitten with a girl _he_ didn't even know let alone seen.

Hawkeye looked up the stairs with a shake of his head. Why would all of a sudden would he ask her to go across the country to go to the other coast when they were right here?

He sighed and went up the stairs to Bridget's room. He softly knocked on her door and found her stretched out eagle spread on the bed. Her eyes were closed when she asked what he wanted.

"That was a friend of mine on the phone. And he was wondering if you would like to come with me to San Francisco because I had said I would visit him sometime before his wife gave birth."

She frowned a moment before asking. "And how does he know about me?"

"I told him I had a friend visiting and he said it was fine that you came with me."

"Oh? And did you tell your friend that I was a woman that you were trying to get lucky with?"

"I didn't tell him about the get lucky part. He guessed that."

"Are there going to kids there?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm not sure if that would be a good idea if we went together. You know with the way you act around me."

"How about I promise I'll behave myself there with you?"

She gave a small smile. "And does that require something on my part?"

"That would be good."

"What exactly does that entail?"

"You have to behave too."

"Me misbehave? Never."

"And we might have to get all our misbehaving out now, while we have the time and the place," said Hawkeye with a crooked smile as he moved closer to the bed.

She opened her eyes as he stood above her with a matching grin. "That might be a good idea."

He smiled more broadly and laid down next to her. Soon enough they were so tangled up you couldn't tell were one ended and the other began. Then in the middle of some necking Hawkeye could feel her yawn under his lips. He looked up at her with a teasing smile.

"Tired?"

"Uh. Uh," she said as she yawned again.

"It looks like it to me."

"I'm not tired. I'm just sleepy." Her eyes fluttered opened and closed and he smiled as she tried to stay awake.

"I think I'll just leave you to get some sleep."

As he started to get up she threw her arms around his neck to keep him down next to her. "No, I don't want you to leave," she said sounding much like a child.

"Okay, then I won't leave." He laid back down and watched her as she fell fast asleep. She looked so peaceful asleep. He brushed a stray hair from her face and saw her give a sigh as his fingertips brushed her skin. He felt a swelling in his breast but pushed it down. He was still trying to heal from the last time his heart had betrayed him. He gave a small sigh before unwinding her arms from his neck and going to his room for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day they packed their things for the trip to San Francisco. Well of course for Bridget she just had to pack all of her things again. Daniel bade them goodbye and even gave Bridget a peck on the cheek and a wink. When she had looked away blushing Hawkeye gave his dad a meaningful look but Daniel pretended to ignore him.

"Call me and tell me about the weather, Hawk."

"Sure Dad, sure."

Daniel turned to Bridget. "I'm glad to have met you. Good luck on making my son behave himself over there."

She smiled at the kindly man. "Thanks for putting up with me at such short notice Dr. Pierce. And, I'll try my hardest to keep him in line." She looked at Hawkeye from the corner of her eye who was also looking at her and Daniel could sense a bolt of passion hanging in the air. He smiled to himself before ushering them out the door to the taxi that waited to take them to the airport.

"Bye. I hope you guys have fun in sunny California. And, there's no need for you to rush home Hawk. Billy's son said he would help out if it gets too heavy for me. Bye." He waved and watched them go and wondered to himself if Hawkeye would find a use for that ring soon.

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After a few plane changes they finally landed in San Francisco. Hawkeye had to shake her none too gently to wake her up. She woke up with a snort and looked at him confused when he gave a low chuckle.

"Did you know that you snore?"

"I do not!" A stewardess gave her a warning look before helping an elderly man reach his bag from the compartment above his seat. "I do not snore," she said low.

"And did you know that you talk too? And sing Jingle bells?"

"Jingle bells?"

"Well that I made up, but look rather cute when you snore."

"I'm cute when I snore?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That is if I did snore, which I don't."

"I could hear you right in my ear." He rubbed his ear. "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to hear in that ear again. Some of them were real loud."

She smacked him on the arm and followed him through the terminal and into the airport. The place was bustling and definitely bigger then the Traverse City airport. There were about two-dozen people with signs saying things like, 'Welcome Smith Family' and 'Mr. Johnson'. She started to feel claustrophobic from all the bodies when Hawkeye towed her away from the people and nearer the bathrooms. There he hailed a man leaning on the wall waiting for them.

He looked about Hawkeye's age with a big mustache under his nose that oddly reminded her of her dad. He was about the same height as Hawk with big feet she noticed. He had on a nice button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dress pants.

He clapped Hawkeye on the back and gave him a hug. Then he caught sight of her standing next to Hawkeye looking awkward and feeling like she was intruding on something.

"So you're Bridget. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out to her, which she shook and noticed that he had the perfect hands of a doctor.

"Nice to meet you too. I've heard some stories about you."

"All good I hope." He turned to Hawkeye. "Peg is expecting us for dinner. Where are your bags?"

They collected the bags and B.J. insisted on carrying her bags, saying she was the guest. When Hawkeye asked why his bags weren't being carried he replied, "She's cuter."

They piled into B.J.'s station wagon and he drove them to his house telling Bridget stories about Hawkeye that only B.J., his tent mate could have known. She was laughing and at ease when they pulled up to his large suburban house. Now she was starting to feel nervous again.

She wasn't exactly happy with intruding on some stranger's house. Of course Hawkeye knew them but she had just meet B.J. and she knew how ornery pregnant women could be. She winced at the memory and noticed that she was alone in the car. She looked out and found B.J. already in the house and Hawkeye waiting for her with his bags.

She quickly clambered out mumbled a sorry and followed Hawkeye up to the steps. If he noticed anything wrong he didn't show it. They walked in and the first thing she noticed was the colors. The walls were all painted light pastels and the house faintly had a country home look to it reminding her of her childhood home and she relaxed, a bit.

A woman with a large belly waddled into the room with a big smile beaming on her face. She pecked them each on the cheek and introduced herself as Peg Hunnicutt.

"I would have given you each a hug but my condition won't exactly allow me." She rubbed her belly fondly and B.J. came down the stairs.

He smiled at her. "Hi, honey," and kissed her on the head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before telling Hawkeye to drop his bags near the door and later he would show him where he could put them. "I think our weary travelers are ready for some dinner," he told his wife.

She looked up at him worriedly. "I was supposed to cook dinner?" When B.J. was about to open his mouth she smiled and slapped his arm. "I have dinner set. It's in the dinning room."

They went to the dining room and spent the night at well ease. Bridget relaxed more and more through out the evening. Peg wasn't like anything like the last pregnant person she had encountered. She was fun and somehow she seemed to glow. Pregnancy suited her and B.J. couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Bridget inwardly sighed. She wished that maybe someday she could find someone who would look at her like that even if she were as big as a cow.

She quickly glanced at Hawkeye and found him watching her. When he saw that she saw him looking at her he gave her a grin that made her duck her head and blush, which just made him grin ever the wider.

B.J. noticed the exchange and couldn't help but give a smile of his own but he hid it behind his hand. He had a feeling that maybe Hawkeye felt more than just attraction when it came to his female companion.

Bridget saw B.J.'s smile and figured what it meant, which made her blush even deeper. She glanced at Peg who was smiling at all of them knowingly. She gave another inwardly sigh. Peg wasn't anything like Margaret when she was pregnant.


	11. Chapter 11

Basically, it was an uneventful week in sunny California. They went to the beach and Hawkeye couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of Bridget in a new two-piece that she had gotten when she had went shopping with Peg. They went out to eat in a few prime restaurants. They went shopping at seaside markets and some cute but pricey shops downtown. (The shops reminded Bridget of downtown Charlevoix.)

When they went down to the beach their last evening there Bridget went walking down the shore. Before she had broken from the group (Erin had been at a friend's house the night Hawkeye and Bridget arrived. She was picked up the morning after.) she had pointedly looked at Hawkeye to give him the hint to follow her. Thinking that they were going to some of the things they had done the first time they had been at a beach, he quietly told B.J. that he would be right back.

Bridget sat on a rock and looked out over the water at the setting sun while she waited for Hawkeye to catch up with her. She frowned to herself, trying to figure out how to say what she felt she needed to say as Hawkeye sat next to her. She gently pushed him away when he leaned over to kiss her.

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Margaret."

Hawkeye gave a huff in anger and made to leave. She turned to look at him and grabbed his wrist. "Please. This is important." Hawkeye sat down but crossed his arms and glowered at the sand. She sighed and let go of his wrist.

"I don't think Margaret thought hard about marrying Rudolph."

"So? Should she if she's in love with him?"

"But that's the thing! She isn't!"

"How do you know?"

"When she talks about him she doesn't get a dreamy look in her face or talk softly about him like she did when she talked about…" Bridget quickly stopped herself. She had almost spoken of the unspoken secret about Margaret's feelings for him.

But Hawkeye had noticed her stopping. His eyes narrowed and he asked in a quiet but deadly sounding voice, "Who? Who does she talk about with a dreamy look on her face and talks softly about?"

Bridget looked away from his blazing eyes and dug a hole in the sand with her toe. "I can't say."

"You can't say? Or you won't say?"

"I can't say," said Bridget as her snapped her head and glared at him. "Stop trying to make this so difficult! You're acting like a little kid. Just shut up and listen!"

Hawkeye shut his mouth and glared down at the sand.

"I think Margaret is making the worst decision in her life. I think that's why she wants to hurry up and get married. I think she thinks that if she hurries things up she won't feel guilty anymore."

"What does she feel guilty about?" asked Hawkeye softly.

Bridget looked over at him and saw that his eye didn't blaze in anger and resentment but that his face had softened and looked weary. "You'll have to ask her yourself."

He looked up at her and searched her face hoping that there might be some clue there about what she was talking about. When he saw nothing but a faint sadness he gave up and looked down at his hands that were now folded in his lap.

"I don't know if I can."

Bridget laid her hand on his and said softly, "I know you can."

She got up and left him to think about what she had said. Instead of going back to B.J. and his family she went the other way and slowly walked down the beach. She looked up at the now set sun and the sky stained red and pink and quietly wiped away the tears she knew would come but hoped they wouldn't.

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The next morning Hawkeye and Bridget said goodbye to B.J.'s family. Peg gave Bridget their address and made her promise to write to her soon. B.J. drove them to the airport and gave Hawkeye and even Bridget a hug. They flew together until they got to Chicago and that was when Bridget was going to board a plane bound for Traverse City.

Hawkeye throughout their whole flight before had been quietly at thought. Bridget decided he had a lot to think about so she pulled out her notebook and started to write down some random things about her time with B.J.'s family. When they touched down at Chicago he had disappeared for a few minutes leaving her worried until he came back with a smile on his face.

"We better get to our gate if we hope to catch the plane."

"Our gate? I thought you were going back to Maine."

"No, I traded my ticket home for a ticket to the Cherry Capital of the World."

Bridget made a disgusted face and Hawkeye looked at her with a wounded expression on his face.

"What you don't enjoy my company?"

"No, I don't like cherries. I never liked living near a city known as the Cherry Capital of the World."

"You don't like cherries!?"

She shook her head and made a gagging noise. "Uh, uh. They're disgusting just like strawberries."

"You don't like strawberries either?"

"I don't like any fruit except apples, oranges, watermelon, grapes and cantaloupe."

"Let me guess you don't like veggies either."

"No, I love veggies."

Hawkeye rolled his eyes at this impossible woman and she giggled. She put her arm through his and led him to their gate that would take them to Traverse City and Margaret.

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Margaret sat at the table with a planner and a list of phone numbers in front of her. She had in her hand the phone and was busily trying to track down the florist that was doing her flowers for the wedding.

"What do you mean she isn't there? She said I could call her if ever I have questions. And I have questions."

"I'm sorry ma'am but she's not here right now."

"Well, where is she?"

"She's on vacation in San Francisco."

"Well, what the hell is she doing in San Francisco!? Who's doing my flowers? My wedding is nine days away!"

"We have someone working on it ma'am."

"Who?! I would like to know who so I know she knows what I want."

"Our owner George Bales has taken over your order ma'am. We have all the necessary flowers you had ordered. He's arranging them right now."

Margaret gave a sigh and rubbed her head with her hand. All this wedding stuff was giving her a headache. "Fine, fine. Just as long as I get my flowers by the wedding."

She hung up the phone and rubbed her eyes. She still had to call the catering and call her bridesmaids to make sure they came over and try on their dresses. She looked down at the large planner in front of her and let her eyes drop to the day circled in red marker. The third Saturday of the month, just nine days away. Nine days till she said 'I do' and became Mrs. Rudolph Russell.

Why did she want the wedding a month after the proposal? Oh, yeah, she wanted to forget about Hawkeye. Just the thought of him made her feel a pang of guilt. If only she hadn't exploded at him like that. He hadn't deserved it! They were quite reasonable questions. She would have asked the same of him, if he had went missing for three years.

She looked down at the long list of things to do for the day and her eyes widened when they stopped at the bottom of the list. She quickly looked down at her watch, swore, grabbed her purse and ran to her car. As she revved up the engine and quickly turned onto the road Rudolph came into the room wanting to ask Margaret where the cat food was. When she wasn't at the table he leaned over the planner looking for something that might tell him where she went and found 'PICK UP BRIDGET AIRPORT 10:30'. He looked down at his watch and gave a chuckle. She had twenty minutes to get to the airport.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hawkeye shifted in his seat in the lobby of the airport for the umpteenth time that minute and Bridget elbowed him in the ribs. "Will you stop fidgeting?" she whispered harshly. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry. I have a lot on my mind."

"I sort of guessed that." She turned back to her notebook and continued to write down a story she was writing. She looked at her watch again and gave a sigh.

"Will you stop checking your watch and sighing? You're making me nervous," said Hawkeye in a half felt attempt to lighten the mood. She glared at him before continuing her story. "What are you writing?"

"A story."

"About what?"

"Chickens."

"Doing what?"

"Killing people."

"Killing people? What is it, a horror story?"

She shrugged. "Could be. It seems like it to me."

"How could you not know what you are writing?"

"You want to read it and tell me what it is?" she said a bit peeved. She just wanted to write right now and it was distracting that he kept talking and fidgeting. It wasn't making matters any better. Margaret was twenty minutes late but couldn't exactly blame it all on that. Though she knew that Hawkeye should talk to Margaret a tiny bit of her was yelling at her to keep them away from each other. She glanced over at Hawkeye bouncing his knee and looking everywhere trying to distract himself. She sighed and continued to write about a red chicken pecking out a woman's eye to get to her brain.

Hawkeye glanced at her and couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked when she was concentrating. She had the eraser at her lips thinking about her next scene. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes were intent on the paper. He gave an inward sigh and looked away. He liked her very much. She was nice and was full of surprises. He gulped and looked down at his hands. He thought he might even be in love with her, but there was something holding him back. He gave another sigh. He still had feelings for Margaret but he didn't want to hurt either one of them. This was going to be the toughest vacation.

He looked up when the airport doors open and took a sharp intake of breath. Margaret came in and looked around the airport looking for Bridget, found her but her face paled when she saw whom she was with. Hawkeye smiled, waved and said, "Hi, Margaret."

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Hey guys! I'm sorry if this last chapter took a while. School is CRAZY!!!! I can't promise that I'll be frequent in delivering more soon. I'm sorry but when I do I hope you enjoy them well.

P.S. I just wanted to tell ya'll that I AM currently writing a story about chickens killing people. I started this summer and I just finished the prelude. LOL. I'm writing it after the style of Paul Zindel. If you would like to read it give me your e-mail or I'll put it up in Fiction Press. Just let me know if you want to see it!

Thanks a lot!! Bridgette Potter


	12. Chapter 12

Thanks soo much for your reviews and everything everyone!! I've had this done for weeks but life is still pretty crazy so I couldn't upload this. I hope you enjoy this!! The end is near!!

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Margaret gulped down the breath of air that was stuck in her throat and took a deep breath. '_What the hell is he doing here_?' she thought. She pasted a smile on her face before straightening her posture and taking measured steps toward the pair. Bridget was intent on her story so she didn't notice Hawkeye calling to Margaret or Margaret walking toward them.

Hawkeye could see right through Margaret's façade and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry. He knew he probably shouldn't have pushed her with those questions. But he had been worried about her for the whole three years no one had been in contact with her. He had wondered if she had died, gotten seriously sick, or even married. He would never have known until he had heard that she was in Michigan. Or at least that had been the rumor. He was definitely happy that he had dropped everything and had come here to find her. He could feel an overwhelming emotion welling up in him as she came closer and he could see how beautiful she looked. He looked back at Bridget and his heart ached. What the hell was he going to do now? He now realized he loved both of them, but which one did he love the most? He suddenly stood and walked, half ran, to the men's room.

Bridget looked up when her companion left and spotted Margaret now coming closer with a more relaxed look on her face. She smiled at Margaret and stood up after dumping her stuff in her seat. She meet Margaret with a big hug then stepped back studying her best friend.

"How are you feeling?"

Margaret shrugged and quickly looked at the bathrooms waiting for Hawkeye to emerge but there was no sign of him. She looked back at Bridget and narrowed her eyes at her and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Why did you bring him?"

"I didn't bring anybody. He came by himself. He's a big boy, he can make his own decisions."

"You know I had an argument with him, but you bring him here anyways."

"I know how close you guys were. I thought you two needed to talk. You know, sort things out." _I just hope it doesn't come down to how you feel about each other though._

Margaret sighed and looked back over at the bathrooms but still no sign of Hawkeye. "Where did he go? I thought he went to the bathrooms."

"That's because I did but I wanted to stop at the shop first," said a seductive voice from behind her.

Margaret turned and saw Hawkeye bowing slightly before her with a cheap bouquet of flowers from the gift shop and were, of course, cherry red. Margaret gave him a genuine smile before taking them and inhaling the sweet smell of the flowers. Hawkeye smiled at her and offered her his arm, which she took and headed over to the doors.

Bridget couldn't help but feel sad at the scene, because now she knew that Hawkeye was lost to her forever. She grabbed her things and followed them to Margaret's car and back home to her cats and skunk.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When they got back home Bridget quickly got out of the car and into the house. Hawkeye was worried that maybe something was wrong with her. She hadn't said anything the whole drive home. She just sat there sullenly looking out the window with her notebook in her lap, the pencil poised over the paper but she didn't write anything. He had tried to get some conversations started with her but she just looked at him blankly.

When he got inside he looked at the table and couldn't help but whistle. He hadn't known that weddings were so complicated. There were multiple bride magazines with high classy names strewn around with items circled heavily in ink. There were receipts and a checkbook lying close at hand. He peered at one receipt and whistled again.

That was when Margaret came in and saw him looking at her checkbook. She grabbed and closed it as fast as a viper strike, startling Hawkeye. He looked at her and made a face of awe. "It costs that _much _for a cake?"

"It does, if you want the best."

"Whom are you ordering it from? A French chef?"

"No, I'm having New York Cakes do it. It's a pizza place up in Atwood."

Hawkeye shook his head and looked at the other things lying on the table. There were multiple pictures of wedding dresses heavily circled and one particularly caught his eye. He smiled his infamous grin that made Margaret melt and held up the magazine.

"Is this what the blushing bride will be wearing to her wedding?" Margaret blushed, which made Hawkeye laugh. "You really would be a blushing bride then wouldn't you?"

On the page was a blonde woman looking out at on ocean from a cliff with the sun beside her and the wind was teasing her veil over her shoulder, but the dress was more than teasing.

First of all it was short, dangerously short. Probably so short that any married man in the church would look after her lustfully. The top had a halter but it was cut low so there was only about two feet between the bottom of the skirt and the opening of the halter. It might have been trashy if it wasn't too trashy to be called _just_ trashy. The thing is that it wasn't just any white dress. It was a red, fire engine red, dress with black trimming around the bottom and halter.

"Not very traditional is it?"

"It's not supposed to. I'm having a total out there sort of wedding."

"I would love to see you in a dress like that, or no dress for that matter."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about my fiancé like that," said a voice behind him. He turned and saw for the first time, Rudolph up close. Rudolph smiled at him in a jokingly matter before extending his hand. "You must be Hawkeye. Margaret has told me a lot about you including your sense of humor."

Hawkeye shook his hand and couldn't help but not hate the guy. There was just something about him that brought energy to the room. "So you're the guy that has finally tamed the Major?"

"Well, I wouldn't quite say she's tamed yet."

Hawkeye laughed and looked at the expression on Margaret's face. She watched them a bit relieved. She probably thought that he would try to kill Rudolph or something. Well, he wasn't contemplating it, yet.

Rudolph turned to Margaret and said, "I better be getting back home or Mrs. Holm might try to cut her grass again." He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before leaving.

After he had left Hawkeye couldn't help but say, "He doesn't stay here with you?"

"No, he prefers to wait until after the wedding."

"Have you two…you know…?"

"No."

"Really? You've really changed. I'm surprised you hadn't gotten him into bed after the first date or at least on the night he proposed."

"Is it so hard to imagine me settling down with an old-fashioned man?" she asked angrily.

"Actually, I never imagined you settling down."

Margaret didn't say anything for a while before she started to clean up the table. Hawkeye stood there awkwardly before taking his cases to the room he had stayed in before. He noticed that the room had been painted and was now a light sage-ish green. He decided if he could find Bridget but when he went to her bedroom door and knocked on the door he didn't get an answer. Maybe she was napping he thought and left the room to unpack some of his things.

Inside her room Bridget was cuddling with Percy with Salem and Delilah at her feet crying into Percy's fur who just took like it happened to him all the time.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night after dinner Hawkeye and Margaret sat on the back deck talking. Hawkeye had been worried about Bridget not joining them for dinner but Margaret said that sometimes she did without eating because she was lost in her stories. "If she realizes she's hungry, she'll come out."

After a comfortable silence Hawkeye broke it by stating, "You don't love him."

Margaret rounded on him. "How dare you say that!? I'm going to marry him in nine days!"

"That doesn't mean you love him. Ancient princes and princesses got married all the time just for the sake of diplomacy."

Margaret glared at him a moment before sighing. "How'd you guess?"

"The way you look at him."

"And how did you become such an expert on love?"

"I was old enough to understand the looks my parents gave each other before my mother died."

There was another lapse of silence when Margaret looked down at her lap and this time she interrupted it with a quite question. "Do you love me?"

"Do_ you_ love me?"

Margaret looked up at him with the question burning in her eyes and softly nodded yes. Hawkeye smiled the smile that she thought he reserved just for her and nodded his head. Her eyes gleamed with excitement before she hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He knew he didn't want to be anywhere else than right there except maybe one other place.

He looked through the sliding door and saw Bridget in the kitchen. She was watching them with a forlorn look on her face and he couldn't help but notice the red circles around her eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

Here ya go everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. (P.S. The name of Bridget's ex-boyfriend is the name of my crush at the moment.)

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Bridget stood there a moment more before dropping the loaf of bread she had just gotten out to make a sandwich onto the floor and walking out the kitchen. Hawkeye sat there a moment more before quickly getting up and dashing into the house. Margaret sat there watching him with the most bewildered look on her face as her love ran into the house for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Hawkeye dashed through the kitchen just in time to hear the front door slam and the pick up rev up before taking off down the driveway. Hawkeye watched as her pickup turned left and down the road toward US 31. He felt an urge to yell at her that it was all a mistake that really he loved her. But he knew it wasn't true. He loved her and Margaret both. He wanted to yell at her that it wasn't easy for him. It never could be, if a person loves two different people but could only have one of the two.

Then it dawned on him. That was why she was so quiet on the ride back, why she dashed into the house when they got back, and why she didn't come out for dinner. It wasn't because she was caught up in a story. It wasn't because she was tired from the flight. She loved him as much as he loved her. And she must have thought he had made his choice.

He slapped his hand to his head and cursed. Of course what else would she think when he was paying special attention to Margaret when he got her that bouquet of cheap flowers, gave her his arm when they left the airport, and didn't try too hard to start a conversation with her in the car. She must have thought he didn't care anymore about her. He just hoped that she had realized that he did care for her deeply the whole weekend they spent in Crabapple Cove and then in San Francisco. He just hoped that she would remember that time spent together before she did anything rash.

Margaret sat on the bench still wondering why Hawkeye had all of a sudden gotten up and if there was a connection between that and Bridget's pick up leaving in what had seemed a big rush. She thought that maybe Bridget had left because she had seen them holding each other like lovers and that she had gotten upset, but that wouldn't explain why Hawkeye would leave her sitting there on the deck. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled to herself thinking about how finally she had told Hawkeye what she thought of him. And she was glad that Hawkeye felt the same way about her and not some other woman she might not even know.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

There came a knocking on the door and Thomas came to the door muttering that someone better be dying. It was eleven o'clock at night and he was just about to go to bed. He opened the door and was surprised to find his ex-girlfriend and now close friend on his doorstep. There were red rings around her eyes and she tried to smile.

"Hi Thomas, mind if I come in?"

He stepped to the side and let her in before closing the door. "Bridget what are you doing here?"

"I can't be at home right now."

"Is Rudolph over there right now with Margaret? I thought they were going to wait until they were married."

"No, it isn't Rudolph. I'd rather not think about it let along talk about it. I didn't want to wake up my parents at this time of night." She stood there a second hesitating before asking, "Can I stay the night with you?"

"Sure, do you mind if you sleep on the pullout couch? I can get you a pillow and some blankets…"

She gently placed her hand on his arm. "No, can I stay the night with _you_?"

Thomas looked at her surprised for a moment before saying softly, "You can't imagine how long I've waited to hear you say that." And with that he led her upstairs to his room and shut the door.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The new morning sun found Bridget sprawled on the bed of her ex-boyfriend groggy and confused.

She felt like crying though for what she didn't know. She couldn't even remember what had happened last night until she felt something wet between her legs. She threw off the blankets that were twisted around her legs and tears started to flow down her cheeks. There was the proof of what had happened last night and her morals and heart were shattered.

Thomas came up the stairs with a tray hoping to surprise her with breakfast and quite happy about last night when he found her sobbing into his pillow. He had thought that maybe she would be smiling and be like her old self in the morning. He had thought it a bit strange that she had shown up in the middle of the night with red eyes and had asked to spend the night with him. He had always known her to be a morally upright girl but he had taken advantage of her last night. That, he could see now.

He set down the tray on the dresser near the door and sat down beside her on the bed. He laid a comforting hand on her back and she sat up and curled up against his chest.

"I'm sorry Bridget. I should have known you aren't really that sort of person. I should have stopped myself."

"It's not your fault. I don't even have a valid excuse for it. I wasn't drunk or anything. Oh, I wish I were at least that! Then I might be able to forget what had happened last night."

"What happened?"

"Remember when I told you I was going to Maine to visit a friend of Margaret's?" Thomas nodded. He remembered how excited she was that she was going. "Well when I visited Hawkeye I think I might have…have…"

"Fallen in love with him?"

Bridget nodded ashamed that it was obvious even to him, who hadn't even met Hawkeye yet.

"You should see your face when you talk about him. You glow Bridget. I've known you long enough to know your body language and know how you feel about something. You love him as much as you love your parents even more."

"Then how come that didn't stop you from having sex with me?" she asked with a little smile trying to make some light humor.

Thomas smiled down at her. "I couldn't have you go around and sleep with some random guy or guys, for that matter, at a bar, now could I?"

She gave a small laugh and rested her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her comfortingly. "I just wish I could forget what had happened last night."

"Are you going to tell me what happened last night?"

"I saw and heard Hawkeye tell Margaret that he loved _her_. I had thought that maybe he had loved me more. We obviously had something going on during that weekend but now nothing. He's now probably going to marry her and I'll end up dieing an old biddy."

"Thanks a lot," he said in mock hurt.

"You know what I mean." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I just don't want to think about it right now."

"I have an idea of how you can forget about it."

She looked up at him searching his face for some hint of this secret he was keeping from her. Thomas held her chin with his hand before he came down and kissed her hungrily on the mouth. Bridget got the idea and thinking that this was what she needed threw her arms around him and kissed him back just as roughly. They fell back onto the bed and spent the rest of the morning in bed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that day Bridget slunk from the bed and took a shower. It was a good thing that Thomas still had some of her stuff in his bathroom in those cases that she spent the night because she was too drunk to go home. When she was done she dried off and got into her clothes from the day before. Her shirt was a bit wrinkled but it was good enough till she got to her next destination.

She called Michaela and asked if she could go to her house and if Sandra could meet her there. Michaela didn't ask any questions but said that she could come. She then called Sandra and asked her to meet her at Michaela's. Sandra started to ask why but Bridget said she would explain and hung up.

She leaned her head against the wall and gathered her strength for the torrent of questions she knew where going to come when she got over there. Then for some reason she thought of Percy and how she had tried to find him a mate. So far all of them had rejected him.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! I know this is pretty quick of me to put up this chapter but it's because of Spring Break!! Yeah!!!!!! I got so much typing done the other day I felt so accomplished. Anyway I hope you like this next chapter. Whatever you feel about this please tell me what you think whether you think Bridget goes overboard in the emotion department or she doesn't cry enough, please tell me what you think! Tell me!!! I love to get reviews from you guys. I have the feeling though that none you are reading this anymore. What happened to all the nice reviews? It makes me feel like I'm actually important when you review. Enjoy!

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Margaret woke up with the sun peeping into her room. She smiled from the memories of last night and rolled to her side with a wide smile on her face. She softly kissed the face of the man next to her and couldn't help but think about how troubled his face looked. She placed a hand on his face and he woke up with a soft groan.

"Good morning," she said cheerily.

He cracked open his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning yourself."

Margaret cuddled up next to him and closed her eyes contentedly with a sigh. She was obviously happy to just stay where she was and cuddle with the man that she loved. She was so happy that she almost expected herself to float off to heaven or at least crow with joy but she just gave another sigh and drift off to the future she expected to have with her love.

Hawkeye put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on top of her head. He looked through the curtains and couldn't help but think about where Bridget could possibly be. He wished he could have reacted faster last night, run faster, anything that might have delayed her leaving, but that was that. She left and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He frowned to himself then he became very conscious of the woman laying beside him and the most amazing night he had had last night with her. He held her closer and closed his own eyes happy of where he was. He would just have to forget about Bridget. She's gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

If only he knew half of it.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bridget jumped into her truck after saying good-bye to Thomas and sat there for a moment still not believing what had happened last night. She couldn't believe that she had actually lost her innocence and it was more because of heartbreak and not a heart full of love. The tears came again but she quickly wiped them away. There would be plenty of time for that later but now she had to drive all the way to Central Lake. There were a lot of curves in the road there and she couldn't afford running off the road and hitting a tree or something.

She played with the thought of just letting herself hit a tree for a second but she just shook it out of her head. She couldn't do that to her family. Plus, there was a chance that she might actually live through such a thing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bridget finally got to Michaela's without a crash though several times she had to drive to the side of the road because she kept crying. When she walked up the walkway to the front door with her red eyes and a wadded up tissue in her hand, Michaela burst out the door and enveloped her in a big hug. Bridget started crying again and Michaela started to talk to her soothingly.

"It's okay. Shh. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Shh."

They walked up to the door where Sandra stood waiting and they led her to the couch. They let her cry for a while before Sandra, who couldn't take it any longer burst out, "What happened Bridget? Did someone hurt you?"

Bridget accepted a new tissue from Michaela and balled it up in her hand. "It's more like I hurt myself."

Sandra was going to ask again what happened when Michaela said softly, "It's okay, you don't have to tell us now if you don't want to."

"No, no. I need to tell someone."

"Then why don't you talk to Margaret? She _lives_ with you."

"Margaret was occupied," said Bridget with a new bout of tears. When she calmed down again she added, "I wasn't at home anyways."

"Where were you?" asked Michaela softly.

"I was at Thomas'." And after a new fit of crying she continued to tell them of the night before.

When she was done Sandra and Michaela sat for a while in silence trying to soak in what she had told them. Bridget stopped crying and sat there trying to think of something else so she wouldn't start crying again.

Finally Sandra broke the silence, "That son of a bitch. If ever I see him again I'll grab his 'little man' and ring all the motivation out of him so he couldn't hurt no one else."

"Who are you talking about? Hawkeye or Thomas?" asked Bridget.

"Thomas, of course. He knew what kind of person you are but he took advantage of you anyways. If I ever found out that Lucas did something like that…"

"No. No. It wasn't his fault. I asked to sleep with him and the sad thing is that I didn't even have a good explanation for it. I wasn't drunk or… Wait, wait hold on. Lucas? I thought you're going out with Matt."

"I broke up with Matt last weekend. I'm going out with Lucas now."

"I feel sorry for my cousin now. Did you bully him into it?"

"No, actually he was the one that asked me out."

Bridget nodded her head like she didn't believe her and smiled at her with a chuckle. "Riiight. My cousin, my shy cousin, as a matter of fact, asked _you_ out and I'm going to guess that you said yes?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Actually it is," cut in Michaela.

"Why?!"

"I don't think we have enough time to cover all of that before we have to go to bed for the night," said Bridget with a smile.

Sandra rolled her eyes and it felt just like high school all over again. Back when life was so much simpler when all you had to worry about were the exams coming up and the after school job.

"Well then, don't get me started on Nick Cook then," said Sandra.

Bridget groaned as Michaela and Sandra laughed at her discomfort. Nick was a grade a year above Bridget that had hounded her and hounded her to go out and even asked her to Prom. She had wanted just to be friends but he never got it into his head that she wasn't looking for a romantic relationship anywhere until the day Thomas asked her out.

"But I never went out with him. The closest we ever got to a date was when he took me out to a movie but there were other people there including my brother. At least I didn't go out with him for a year!"

"Hey I felt sorry for him! You can't blame me for feeling sorry for him!"

"You felt so sorry for him that you made-out with him? That sounds more than pity to me."

"Shut up!" Sandra chucked a pillow and Bridget but it just made her laugh and it turned into a full blown pillow fight between the two as Michaela jumped out of her seat and went into her room and soon returned with her own pillow. They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking about the past, though the night before hung around Bridget like a shroud that just couldn't be shrugged off.

She wasn't sure if she could ever forgive herself, or Hawkeye for that matter.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! I'm so elated right now, I'm surprised I haven't floated to the heavens yet. Remember when I told you guys about my crush on Thomas (who I put in my story about two chapters back)? I asked him to Prom three weeks back! It was a bit iffy but I danced with him at Prom! I've had this for a while and have only gotten onto the internet to load it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Prom!!!

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Margaret stood in the kitchen humming a wordless love sung as she scrambled some fresh eggs from the chickens. She smiled as Hawkeye came in and sat at the island and watched her. She winked at him before turning back to the task at hand and sprinkled some cheese on the eggs.

"I hope you had a good night's sleep Hawkeye."

"I did."

"It looked like you had a bad dream though. Your face was all screwed up in a frown this morning."

"It was? Huh. I don't know why." Of course, he did know why.

He had dreamed that he had been in a black void. He had turned to his right and had seen Margaret waving and smiling at him with a look of utter love. Then when he turned to his left he saw Bridget with tears rolling down her face and her face turned away from him. The only way he had known that she was crying because he could see the tears dripping off her chin and onto the floor. The tears made a loud boom in his ears and he wanted so much to make her stop crying. He turned back to Margaret and saw her looking at him angrily with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She shook her head at him and the scene changed.

Now, he was in an extravagant hotel ballroom standing in front of a lot of people sitting down in chairs. There was an iron wrought arch behind him and what looked to be a preacher who was smiling at him with a knowing gleam in his eye. He looked down the aisle, for that was what it was, and saw a vision in white come down the red carpet set in front of her. When she stood beside him he lifted her veil and saw Margaret smiling at him with tears of happiness running down her face. She looked absolutely beautiful and he couldn't wait for the preacher to call them husband and wife. Then just as he was about to kiss his new bride the scene changed again.

He was in the same position but it was with different scenery, and a different woman. He was leaning down to kiss Bridget who looked stunning in a simple green blouse and skirt. He could hear birds chirping and when he looked out of the corner of his eye saw a large oak tree, so he guessed he was in a wood. There was also a tiny man in voluminous white robes, but looked nothing like any preacher he knew of. Time seemed to be stretched out painfully as he leaned down towards Bridget to give her that time-treasured kiss that sealed their fates together. Then right before he got to her the scene changed for the final time.

He was again in the void with Margaret to one side and Bridget on the other. They now both looked at him deploringly with no sound trying to call him like a couple beckoning a dog to decide which owner it liked best. He looked at both with pain trying to decide whom he wanted but he was torn between the two of them. He tried to make a sound to show them his indecision, but nothing came out. Then slowly they started to move away. He tried to reach out to them to make them stay but they started to speedily move away from him still trying to beckon him, until they were gone.

That was the time that Margaret woke him up. He was frowning because he didn't know which of the two to choose. Margaret was feisty, unpredictable, sexy, and there would never be a dull moment. Then, on the other hand, Bridget was quiet, witty, beautiful in anything, and listens well. They were both admirable women, and total opposites. How could he choose between the two sides of a double-sided coin?

Hawkeye got up from where he was sitting and stood behind Margaret as he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the love radiating from her like the heat that comes off the sun and couldn't help but bask in it.

He didn't know how he was going to tell her about his conflict and how he had finally made his decision.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bridget drove to her parents inn later that day still thinking about her high school days. She remembered her desire to become a radiologist but hadn't the money to pursue it. She couldn't have gone to college for ten to twelve years on a farmer's pension. The closest she ever got to that dream was becoming a secretary at a hospital.

She drove to the back lot of the inn that was reserved for her. She sat for a moment in her truck before her mother came to the door to see who was out there. When she saw Bridget she got a look that said, 'What are you doing here, at this time of day?' until Bridget came out of her truck and she could see the mess that her clothes were in.

Her mother got a sympathetic look on her face and shooed Bridget into her room and made her change her clothes. She sat on the bed as Bridget changed and patted the spot next to her. Bridget sat down and leaned into her mother, closing her eyes.

"I did something real stupid, Mom."

Her mother patted her back and soothed her. "It's okay, honey. It's okay."

"It's not, okay. I slept with Thomas last night!"

"Tell me what happened."

Bridget went on to tell her mother what had happened the night before and her mother said nothing the whole time. When Bridget was done, she gave a nod.

"You must really love Hawkeye."

"How can _you_ tell?! It seems obvious to everyone!"

"Honey, I don't think you would have slept with Thomas if you weren't as heartbroken as you were."

"How do you know?"

"I just know. Now, have you had a decent meal at all today? No? Well, then I'll make you something. How about some chili? I was making some for dinner later. I'm sure your father won't mind."

Bridget followed her mother to the small kitchen and sat at the small wooden kitchen table that her parents had had for years. She traced the worn out rings on the peeling surface from all the meal times that had been there before, wondering if that was the closest she'll ever get to enjoying dinner with someone.

She ate what her mother set in front of her and even took thirds of chili. When she was done she pushed her bowl away and looked at her mother.

"I don't know what to do Mom."

Her mother smiled at her before patting her arm. "You'll know what to do. You'll know."


	16. Chapter 16

Here you go guys! Thanks for all your patience and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did bringing it to you. Enjoy!!!!!! Enjoy it darn it!!

* * *

Hawkeye watched Margaret's face for any hint of what her mind was thinking, but she was showing nothing.

"Margaret. Margaret. Please tell me what you're thinking. You're going to drive me mad if you don't say something soon."

"You love both me and Bridget? How is that possible?"

"How can you love vanilla and chocolate? That isn't what matters. What matters is that I love you."

"But you love Bridget too," she said accusingly.

"I do, I do, but I made up my mind and I've decided that I love you more and that I chose you over her."

"How can I trust you, that you love me more than you do her?"

"That's the thing, you can't. But I would like to show you how much I love you. Just stay right here." Hawkeye got up and went back inside the house and into the room he was occupying.

He fished around in his bag until he found the box that his dad had given him when he had first come to Michigan. He opened the box and found that the ring was just as beautiful as last time he had opened that lid. He picked the ring up and admired the sapphire and diamonds in the knot work tracery. He closed his hand over it and gave a quick prayer for the courage for what he was about to do and that she would say yes.

Margaret sat on the deck watching the trees but not really noticing them. How could he have fallen in love with Bridget? Sure, she was pretty in a farm girl way, smart, and witty. But she was also a tad different. She had a skunk for a pet after all! She shook her head at the thought, but realized that she wasn't being fair. Bridget was a wonderful person full of life and spunk and what she did that was odd, was what made her unique.

She wasn't sure if Hawkeye really loved her anymore than Bridget, though. He seemed sincere when he told her he loved her more, but how could she trust him after he told her he also loved another woman?

She didn't notice when Hawkeye came back outside, but she did notice when he kneeled in front of her and held up something to her.

"Margaret Houlihan, will you do me the honor and become my wife?"

That was when she realized that she didn't have to worry about him being in love with Bridget. She realized that he loved her, and that she loved him.

"Yes! Oh, yes, Hawkeye! Yes!" She threw her arms around his neck before he pried her off of him long enough for him to put the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly and she threw her arms around his neck again. He put his rams around her and he felt overjoyed. Now, there was no place on this earth that he would rather be than right there. Nowhere.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Bridget sat in the room that her mother had insisted that she have in case she ever needed a place to stay. She had never thought that she would have to keep some of her clothes there since she lived in the house that her parent's stilled owned and let her rent out with a friend.

At the thought of her _friend_ she couldn't help but feel resentment. Margaret right now was probably making lovey-dovey faces at Hawkeye, and him doing same at her. She didn't know how she could forgive Margaret. Of course it wasn't her fault. Margaret was totally oblivious to her feelings for Hawkeye. She didn't know that she loved him, but it still hurt.

Then for some reason her thoughts strayed towards Thomas. She wondered what he was doing and if he was thinking about what had happened last night. She still had feelings for him from back when they used to date and wasn't sure why. Now he was more like a brother. 'A brother that I slept with,' she thought bitterly.

He was a handsome man, a year older than her and very artistic. Probably one of the things that drew her to him was that he had an ability that she envied, and the beard had a little to do with it too. Plus, he was a very interesting person, at least in her thoughts.

Bridget sighed. What was she going to do? She obviously couldn't be with Hawkeye now, now that he was with Margaret. It seemed like everyone she knew had someone who they loved and who loved them back. Michaela had Darrell. Hell, they were getting married in a few months. Sandra now had Lucas. Justin, her brother, had Alyssa. Her mom had her dad. And what did she have? Nothing, except a regrettable night.

'Well, maybe not quite a regrettable night,' she thought. She shook her head. No, what she did last night was unforgivable. Her morals were shattered, all because she was mad/sad about Hawkeye's decision. It was no excuse. She had to get a grip on herself and figure about what she was going to do about it.

But what was there to do? She didn't know the answer to that. She had sex. What could she do about that, except pray that she doesn't get pregnant? Then it hit her. She could get pregnant. She could become a single parent mother taking care of a kid, plus handling a demanding job at the hospital.

She closed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, while the other hand went to her stomach, as if hoping that she might reassure herself that she might not become pregnant. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that her period was still a week away. She'll just have to wait till then to see if her fears might be true or not. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that she needed a shower to wash her thoughts away.

She didn't like the thought of becoming a pregnant working mother. She had a hard time just dealing with the working part. How could she care for a baby?


	17. Chapter 17

I'm sorry I haven't been able to put this up after I got it done. My life is complicated at the moment. I like Boy A, but I don't know what he thinks about me. Boy B I like as a friend, but he's hoping it'll be something more. Yaddda. Yadda. It's just been so complicated in my head that I haven't been able to write anything and probably not for a while either. I have to somehow get in contact with Boy A... Oh well enough of me. I hope you enjoy this and the upcoming summer! The end is sadley coming up. (Not for a few chapters yet. But it's coming. )

* * *

After stepping out of the shower Bridget decided that she couldn't hide from Hawkeye and Margaret forever. She would have to go back sometime and now was better than anything. She quickly dried herself and threw on a pair of jeans and a dark gray t-shirt. She decided to just quickly brush her hair and let it air dry in the truck. She told her mom what she was going to do and her mother wished her luck.

'I'll need it,' she thought as she climbed into her truck.

When she hit Barnard Rd. she gunned it and flew home as fast as her truck would go. She slowed only once when Mr. VanderArk's cat ran across the road about 2 miles away from her house.

She stopped her car when she got to the end of the driveway and looked at the familiar setting of her home of thirty-three years. For some reason she expected it to be changed, probably because she herself had changed since last time she was here on familiar ground. The house, pole barn, and chicken coop looked the same, the garden too, if there were a few more weeds.

She gave a sigh before slowly turning the wheel and going up the long drive to her usual parking spot outside the kitchen window. She cut the engine and watched the kitchen window for life and finding none jumped out of her truck and went around to the back, but spotted Margaret and Hawkeye on the deck, where they had been sitting all day.

She pasted a smile on her face and stepped onto the deck, where Hawkeye and Margaret were waiting for her.

"Hi, guys. I'm sorry I flew out like that last night. I had remembered I had promised a friend that I would drop by to say hi that day. Thankfully he was okay that I showed up so late. So what's new?"

She sat down on a chair opposite the bench they were sitting on and she could tell that they didn't by it.

"That's bull shit Bridget," said Margaret with a sympathetic smile.

Bridget threw off the plastered smile and shrugged her shoulders uncaringly. "Could be."

"Margaret, could you leave us for a moment? I would like to talk to Bridget alone."

Margaret nodded knowingly and obviously she knew what Hawkeye was going to talk about and left with the excuse that she had to check the mail. Bridget looked down at her shoes and wouldn't look up until Hawkeye cleared his throat a few times.

"You have something in your throat?"

"Bridget, would you please look at me."

Bridget looked up and could see the look of pain on his face with what he was about to say. He leaned on his knees and looked her straight in the face. Bridget could feel and hear her heart beating in her chest. She was starting to sweat and she had a very strong urge to look down at her shoes again, but Hawkeye's eyes were boring into her and she was riveted to the spot.

"Bridget, I love you."

Her breath caught in her chest and a confused look came over her features. "Me? I thought you told Margaret you loved her last night. How could you love both of us?"

"I don't know how it could happen, but it happened. I love both of you, but I can only choose one of you. It took me a long time for me to realize whom I wanted more, but I decided this morning that I wanted Margaret. I'm real sorry for telling you this way, but I just wanted to tell you how I feel about you and that I'll always have a spot for you."

Bridget could feel the tears wanting to fall and dug her nails into her palms trying to keep them back. "I was afraid of that. The reason why I left last night was because I was angry with you for telling Margaret that you loved her. I love you Hawkeye and it just hurt me, seeing you telling her you loved her. Then I went out and did something regrettable."

Hawkeye could see that she was holding back her tears, so he went over and wrapped his arms around her. At first she was resistant of his holding her, but when she remembered that he loved Margaret more than her, she forgot who was holding her and let the tears roll down her face as Hawkeye comforted her.

When she quieted down Hawkeye went back to his seat, but he kept a hand on her hand on her knee. Bridget wiped away the last of her tears with her other hand and for once felt relieved. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart and she felt cleansed.

She smiled at Hawkeye with red-rimmed eyes and said, "Thank you."

Hawkeye seeing that she held no more resentment for his loving of Margaret, smiled at her and said, "Your welcome." After a moment he gave her a crooked smile and said, "Did you know you look sexy after you've cried?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Then I should have looked sexy all day. I've been crying basically the whole day."

"Why?"

"My regrets."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Maybe later. Right now I just want to go to my room and say hello to my cats and my skunk. I haven't seen them in ages." She got up and went into the house. She ran into Margaret in the dining room reading a book and told her congratulations on winning Hawkeye's heart.

Margaret surprised at the well wishes she was getting from the woman she thought was her rival said, "Thanks."

"Oh, and congrats on the second marriage proposal. Did you tell Rudolph?"

"I already told him, but he didn't sound too disappointed. He actually said he was wondering when I was going to cut it off. I guess he knew I was never going to go through with it."

"Nothing seems to get past Rudolph," Bridget laughed. Of course she had known Margaret wasn't going to go through with it herself.

"Yea," agreed Margaret a bit upset about Bridget's manner. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm going to my room." Bridget went down the hall and softly closed her door.

Margaret wasn't buying her act though. She had seen that little hesitation before she had replied. There was something wrong, but Margaret decided to talk to her later. Now, she wanted to go sit with Hawkeye and talk about anything and everything.

Bridget jumped onto her bed belly first and pulled a pillow under her face. Salem and Delilah moved from their perches on her pillows and laid down on either side of her purring as loud as they could. She propped herself on her elbows and scratched both of them behind the ears. She got up and went to her closet. She moved some of her clothes and found Percy snuggled down in his box sleeping.

"Hi, Percy. I missed you. It looks like it's just you and me without someone. I just hope I can change that for at least you." She gently petted him before letting her clothes fall back into place and sat on the bed again.

Delilah and Salem were no sitting next to each other rubbing each other and purring loudly. Bridget sighed thinking about how she wished she could find her own Salem.


	18. Chapter 18

Here you go guys. I was able to push my guy situation to the side for an hour and wrote this beautiful chapter for you. I'm getting ever closer to my goal of having a story that is 20 chapters long! Thanks for all the kind reviews and for all the people who keep following this story even from its begining. I love you guys and I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

Before she started dinner Margaret quietly went to Bridget's door and knocked softly. "Bridget? Are you in there? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

She heard a muffled reply, so she softly opened the door and found Bridget eagle spread on her bed staring at the canopy of her bed. "What's the matter Bridget?"

"What makes you think that something is the matter?"

"Well, for one thing you're in here, when there is someone here you can talk to. And two, you're staring at nothing."

"Maybe I just wanted some time to myself? Anyways I'm not staring at nothing. I'm staring at my canopy thinking."

"About what?"

"What about what?"

"Please don't start this with me. You're avoiding my question, why?"

"I'm thinking about last night."

"About when Hawkeye said he loved me?"

"No, after that."

"When you ran away?"

"More like where I ran away to."

"You went to the Inn, didn't you? What happened?"

"No, I didn't go to the Inn."

After a moment of silence, knowing that she wasn't going to come out and say it Margaret closed the door and sat on the bed next to Bridget.

"Where did you go?" she asked softly, knowing that it must be a touchy subject.

"I went to Thomas' place."

"Thomas Lavanway?"

Bridget nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak because all the fears of becoming pregnant were coming back and she could feel the tears welling behind her eyes.

Instantly, Margaret understood what had happened and gathered Bridget as the tears started to pour over. She comforted her and let her cry.

"I don't know why I did it. I guess I do, but I don't have much of an excuse for why I did it. I'm such a stupid person. I didn't stop to think that I might get pregnant. I won't be able to handle that. I have a full-time job, no serious relationships, and not enough money. How could I bring a baby into that?"

"You can't know if you're pregnant yet? When is your next period?"

Bridget sat up and wiped her eyes with her hands. "In a week, but…"

"But, nothing. Stop thinking about being pregnant right now. It's best not to think about it until the moment is here. Just wait for a week and see if anything comes from it… or we could get a pregnancy test."

Bridget looked at Margaret, looking for something that she could use and finding it took a breath and said, "I'll wait. It might drive me crazy, but I'll wait. It'll give me enough time to figure out how I feel about this. It might be fun to have a baby."

"Would you tell Thomas?"

She nodded. "He'll probably figure it out anyways, if I get pregnant. Since he was the one I went to for comfort. He might even offer to help with the baby. After all, it would be both of ours."

Margaret sat listening to Bridget talking about her possible pregnancy with a glimmer of joy when before it had been dread. 'It's fascinating how women change at the prospect of having a baby,' she thought. Then she remembered about her own experience with in that area.

Tears started to well in her eyes and Bridget stopped talking when she realized what she was talking about in front of Margaret. She placed a hand on her arm and said, "I'm sorry, Margaret. I forgot about how you feel about this sort of stuff."

Margaret shook her head. "It's not your fault Bridget. It's okay for you to talk about it. It's just that it's been two years since _it_ happened."

Bridget wrapped her arms around her and held her as Margaret remembered about her own pregnancy that had been under totally different circumstances. She felt the tears that always came when she thought about it, which was thankfully not very often, and let them spill down her cheeks.

"Have you told Hawkeye about what had happened?"

Margaret shook her head. "Are you crazy? How could I tell him? I just go up to him and say, 'Oh yeah, before we get married, I should tell you that I got raped, got pregnant and had to put that child up for adoption.'?"

"You don't have to put it exactly that way. But you know, he should know about it. He should know about your problems of becoming that intimate."

"He already knows about my problems. That was the reason why he left the first time he came here."

"Because you didn't have sex with him?"

"No, because I wouldn't tell him about it. He got all in a huff and left. He didn't get it, that it's too emotional for me to be intimate."

"You should explain it to him. Then he'll realize what an ass he was and apologize to you."

"Yeah, I probably should." Margaret sighed and wiped away the traces of the tears. She smiled at Bridget. "Now that we've had a cry together, how about we go make dinner?"

Bridget smiled back and nodded. "Hamburgers with mashed potatoes?"

Margaret laughed remembering Bridget's comfort foods and said, "Sure."

They went out to the kitchen and when Hawkeye came back inside from a walk found them laughing in the kitchen mashing potatoes the old fashioned way. He couldn't even try to imagine what they were just crying about and what an impact those subjects might have on him. He'd find out soon enough.


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everybody! I'm one more step to reaching my goal of having twenty chapters. This is defenitly going to last longer than that. I can promise you that! There is so much that can be done and might be done. At the end I would actually name my kids either Jacklyn or David. Jackly after my Uncle Jack and David after my Grandpa David who I never meet. I'm still having boy problems, but you guys always come first. Fans over boys! I'm putting an important turn in the story up to a vote. Should Bridget become prgnant? Tell me yes or no and why. I'm having trouble with this and I greatly enjoy your input. Enjoy my story!

* * *

After dinner on the deck Hawkeye patted his stomach and gave a hearty contented sigh. "That was good, girls. Where did you learn how to make hamburgers so good?"

"It all starts with the beef and where you get it. Luckily we get beef from my dad," said Bridget glad that he enjoyed it. She didn't cook often but hamburgers were her expertise. It was a lucky thing that Margaret liked to cook or else all she would eat would be burgers and cereal.

Bridget gave Margaret a look and said that she would clear the table. She grabbed the dishes and went inside to wash them. Margaret and Hawkeye sat for a while in silence listening to the birds in the trees and the bees looking for flowers. Margaret cleared her throat and Hawkeye looked at her.

Once now that she was going to tell him Margaret was getting nervous and it took all her courage to look him straight in the eye. "I want to talk to you Hawkeye about the reason why you left the first time."

He nodded his head. "You didn't want to talk about why you didn't contact anyone for three years."

"Yes, also before that I didn't want to get intimate with you. And the thing is, is that they're related." She took a deep breath to steady herself and continued. "There reason is that about a year after the war I was in Detroit visiting a friend when I was raped."

She looked at Hawkeye to see what his reaction was but his face was blank. Unnerved by his silence she looked down at her hands as she continued.

"After that I came up here, meet Bridget who insisted I stay with her because of the baby and I had it nine months later." Now was the tough part. "It was a baby girl, nine pounds two ounces. She was so beautiful, but I couldn't keep her, not after the way that she was conceived. I gave her up for adoption and is now living in Ellsworth with a loving family. It's an open adoption, but I haven't seen her since I gave her to her new mother. I don't know if I could take seeing her."

Hawkeye sat a moment watching Margaret as the tears came to her eyes and he saw how lonely she looked. He went over and enveloped her in his arms. "Shhh. It's okay Margaret. It's okay. I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I understand how you must feel. You didn't want any of us to know about this. Is that why you didn't talk to any of us?"

Margaret who couldn't say anything at the moment nodded her head smearing her tears on his shirt. She realized what a good man Hawkeye was because he could be serious at the right moments and funny the rest of the time. She clutched at his shirt and inhaled. He smelled like sweat and Old Spice, which smelled quite good to her. She wiped away her tears and smiled up at him. "Thank you Hawkeye for understanding. I love you."

Hawkeye smiled down at her and gave her a squeeze. "I love you too. Now what 's for dessert?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Later that night the trio was still sitting on the deck enjoying the night air, when Margaret announced that it was getting chilly and that she was going inside. She invited the others inside, but they wanted to stay out a while longer.

Bridget and Hawkeye sat together in comfortable silence when Hawkeye asked, remembering an earlier conversation, "So about your regrets, are you going to tell me now?"

Bridget sighed knowing she couldn't hide it any longer. "My regrets?" Hawkeye nodded.

Bridget looked down at her hands playing with the rings on her fingers in her lap and said, "Last night I went somewhere after you told Margaret you loved her."

She took a breath and Hawkeye watched her. She didn't seem to be pained about who he loved, but he could tell that she was going to tell him something that was going to be emotional for her.

"I went to an ex-boyfriend's house, who is now a close friend and stayed the night." She looked at Hawkeye to see his reaction, but he didn't seem to understand it. "I stayed the night _with him_. I stayed the night with him, because I was heartbroken about what you told Margaret last night."

The tears started to well up in her eyes again. "And now I'm afraid I might become pregnant." She wiped away the tears and tried to smile. "But it might not be such a bad thing. Sure they can be demanding, but babies are so cute and fun. Don't you think?"

Hawkeye nodded trying to soak up what she just told him. She just told him that she was so emotionally trampled over four words that he had said that she slept with a guy, who in his defense was a close friend, plus an ex-boyfriend so he knew her in an intimate way. And by the way she was reacting about the whole thing he guessed that before last night that she had been a virgin.

Then it hit him. He had caused a morally upright woman to have sex with another man because of the emotional damage he had conflicted. If she got pregnant it was ultimately his fault. He drove her to it, just because he loved Margaret.

His eyes got wide and he covered his mouth with his hand. He looked at Bridget who was looking at him worriedly. He swallowed and asked, "When is your period?"

Bridget blushed, feeling uncomfortable talking to a man about her period and it seemed to break the ice.

Hawkeye smiled at her. "I'm doctor, remember? I know all about the female process of how a baby is made."

"I have a week."

"Do you want the baby, if you have one?"

Bridget hesitated a moment. "I don't know. Babies are such a handful, but they can be so rewarding. There always has to be someone to carry on the family name."

"So you're hoping it would be a boy?"

"Not necessarily. Girls don't always have to take their husbands' names. I don't plan to, if ever I get married."

He smiled again. "But what about their family name? What if there is no one else to carry their family name? Justin could carry the family name for the Potters."

Bridget rolled her eyes. "That's a scary thought. Allysa and him are trying I know, but still having to rely on him to do that is scary." She sighed. "I guess I would take someone's last name if it meant carrying on their family line. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the ending of a family tree."

She smiled at Hawkeye. "Would you like to know what I would name it if I had a baby?" Hawkeye nodded. "Jacklyn if it was a girl and David if it was a boy."


	20. Chapter 20

I fianlly made my dream true! Twenty chapters!!! Yes!! And to celebrate Michaela is back in the picture with a beautiful engagment ring. I looked at the rings on Tiffanys and found the perfect one just for her. I was going to write about Bridget in this chapter but decided that the brides should get a chapter to themselves. I hope you enjoy this as mush as I enjoy bringing this to you!

* * *

They spent the few days hanging out when neither of the girls was working. Sandra and Michaela came over for dinner and stayed over for one night. They were happy for Margaret when she showed them the ring Hawkeye had given her.

Michaela was holding her hand examining the ring when she said, "It's beautiful." She looked at Hawkeye. "Where did you get this? It looks old."

"That's because it is old. It was my mother's when she married my dad and before that it was my grandmother's."

Michaela compared her ring to Margaret's and announced, "Margaret's is beautiful, but mine is gorgeous."

Hawkeye looked at it and whistled. "How did Darrell afford this?"

It was a Tiffany diamond cushion cut surrounded by bead-set diamonds that looked like something from the Edwardian period. It sparkled nicely in the sun and Michaela couldn't help but beam.

"Darrell is a detective, but his family is quite wealthy. They wanted him to join the family business, but he wanted to help people on the ground."

"What is the family business?"

"Lawyers. His father is up for judge this next election."

"Do lawyers get much action up here?" Hawkeye couldn't think of what a bunch of farmers could use lawyers for.

Everybody nodded, but nobody cared to explain further. Margaret and Michaela spent the rest of the time talking about weddings and what they were going to do with theirs. Whenever Margaret asked Hawkeye about the wedding all he said was sure. He was at a total loss about the whole wedding thing. Why did it have to be so complicated? Just get a pastor or judge, say their vows and go on their way to the honeymoon. On the topic of the honeymoon he was a bit worried about theirs. Margaret obviously had intimacy problems so he guessed that they would have to start slow. He was fully prepared to do whatever Margaret wanted to do for the ceremony and reception, but the honeymoon was all his.

"Margaret, I'm picking the honeymoon."

Margaret looked at him from where she was talking to Michaela about flowers. "Oh really? What makes you think that?"

"Hey, this is my wedding too! I think I should have a say on something!"

"Haven't you ever heard of how the wedding is the _bride's_ day? Not the groom's day?"

"You get the wedding _day_, I get the wedding _night_."

"Fine. Whatever," said Margaret before talking to Michaela about invitations. Secretly, she was relieved that he wanted to do _something_ for the wedding. Rudolph hadn't been much of a help when they were planning their wedding. His heart was in the right place, but he just let Margaret do all of the planning. Speaking of Rudolph, he was supposed to call off the wedding. She excused herself and made a phone call.

"Hello, Dr. Russell's office. Bridget Potter speaking. May I ask who's calling?"

"Bridget, it's me Margaret."

"Hi Margaret! I'm sorry, but my break isn't until 2:45."

"That's fine. I just wanted to talk to Rudolph."

"Okay. Could you hold a moment so I can tell the Doctor?"

Bridget didn't wait for an answer and put her on hold. Margaret could hear Bach playing through the phone and wished that they used different music. How about something more rocking? Elvis Presley would be a good choice. All the women would need the doctor after hearing Elvis.

As Margaret was thinking about this Bridget pressed the intercom button to Dr. Russell's office. "Dr. Russell? You have a call on line three."

"Thanks Bridget."

Rudolph picked up the phone. "Dr. Russell. How may I help you?"

"Rudolph, it's Margaret."

"Margaret! Nice to hear from you. Listen I have to tell you something…"

"First, I need to know whether you called off the wedding."

"Well, you see the thing is that they won't let me."

"What do you mean they won't let you?" Margaret did not like the way this was sounding.

"I can't get a refund from the revenue, the flowers, or the cake. If nobody uses them it would all be a waste of money, flowers and cake, especially the cake."

"You mean the wedding is still planned for five days! What!? I can't believe this!" Then she got an idea. "Could you hang on for a moment?" She set down the phone and asked Hawkeye about her plan.

"You want to do what?! You want us to get married in five days?! I can't believe this!"

"If we don't do it, it would be a waste of money for Rudolph. We can pay him back for it later."

"Yes, but in five days? How the hell am I going to get my family here in five days? And what about the 4077th? We're going to have to invite them, but I doubt they're going to be able to get out of work in five days."

"If we start right now, we can get it all done in five days," said Margaret with confidence.

Hawkeye closed his eyes and rubbed his hands over them. Five days. He's going to get married in five days. He looked at Margaret and nodded. She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thanks Hawkeye! We better start calling."

She went back to the phone and told Rudolph of her plan. He sounded relieved when he answered and he wished her the best of luck.

"Because, frankly my dear, it'll be a miracle if you get it all done in five days."

"Thanks Rudolph. We'll pay you back when it's all done. I promise."

"Am I invited?"

"Of course you are! You couldn't have this if it weren't for you. And I'm sorry again about breaking it off with you."

"That's okay. I knew you didn't really love me. I expected you to call it off ever since I proposed to you."

"Then why did you propose at all?"

"I wanted some practice. I got my eye on someone at the hospital. It might lead to something."

"Well, I hope it goes well for you and you can invite her to the wedding if you want."

"I don't think I have to do that. She's already going to be there."

Margaret puzzled over this for a while and silently guessed to herself before saying, "Thanks again Rudolph. Well I've got to go. We have plenty of people to call now. Bye."

Margaret smiled to herself thinking about who she thought Rudolph had a liking to, but forgot about later when she and Hawkeye were calling relatives and friends. It seemed like Bridget might find someone after all.

* * *

Tell me. Should Bridget get pregnant? Tell me what you think. I have several ideas for which ever way it goes, but I can't make up my mind for the actual decision. Tell me what you think. Baby or no baby. That is the question! I'd greatly appreciate your input!


	21. Chapter 21

I know this is a real accomplishment getting a chapter up the day after the last one and I'm ecstatic about it. I hope you enjoy this. I believe there is going to be a few more chapters before we find out if Bridget is pregnant or not. It adds to the suspense. ;) I'm still waiting for votes about a baby or not. I have five votes in so far and frankly I thought I had more than five readers. Oh well... I know this a bit longer than my usual chapters but there is a lot of talking in this one. Enjoy!!!

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The next day Hawkeye got fitted for a tux, which was going to cost extra for it to be ready in time.

"Four days! I'm getting married in four days! How the hell am I going to be able to pay for all of this?" Hawkeye couldn't help but think.

The day before he had called his dad to tell him about the wedding. His dad was excited and a bit surprised.

"Five days? Can't you wait a few months? You must really want to marry her."

"No, Dad. Remember how Margaret was going to marry someone else? Well they couldn't call off their wedding when Margaret canceled on him."

"Hmm, really. Well, I'll help you out and get all the family together. I'll call them up and get them there. You just worry about getting married in five days."

"Don't worry I'm already worrying about it Dad. Thanks. Bye."

At least he didn't have to worry about his family now. That was a load off his chest. Of course not everyone would be able to make it but hopefully some would be able to. Now all he had to do was call the doctors and servicemen from the 4077 that Margaret hadn't invited for her first wedding. Margaret was calling the nurses whom she hadn't called either.

Colonel Potter, B.J., Charles, and Father Mulcahy had already been called, plus a few nurses, but Hawkeye had to call Radar, Klinger, Trapper, Frank, and a few others. Father Mulcahy at first was just going to be a guest, but Margaret and Hawkeye decided that they wanted him to marry them since they knew each other so well. Radar was able to take a few days off the farm and Klinger was begging that Margaret wear a gown that he had been making for her. When asked why he did such a thing all he said was that nothing escapes his nose's notice or his eyes for that matter. Trapper was surprised at the offer and said that he wouldn't miss it for the world.

"If someone was finally going to hitch with Hot Lips, I would never have figured it would have been you Hawk."

"Well believe it Trap. And you better not call my wife that once I'm officially married to her."

"I can't promise anything. Red doing it?"

"Yeah."

"Can't wait to see that. Bye Hawk. See you in a few days."

"Bye Trap."

Begrudgingly Hawkeye called Frank, but Frank gracefully declined. There was no way the Colonel could be expected to leave at that moment where communism might strike somewhere inside the States. No, he had to stay and protect the country of the free. Hawkeye failed to remind him that Michigan was part of the country of the free, so he checked Frank off of the guest list.

Hawkeye flopped down onto the couch after all his calls and closed his eyes.

Bridget giggled. "Hard day?"

"That's not even half of it. I just talked to Colonel Frank Burns who just happens to have a stethoscope up his ass."

"Really? Have you ever proven that?"

Hawkeye opened his eyes and looked at her. "Actually yes I can because I'm the one that put it up there. He wasn't paying attention where he was sitting."

"Is he really that bad?" she laughed.

"Worst."

Margaret had the phone watching them as she called her old nurses. There didn't seem to be anything more than friendship between them, but she still saw Bridget as a threat. Hawkeye had said he loved both of them, but he loved her more than her. Margaret wasn't assured one hundred percent. She knew Bridget loved Hawkeye. That was the whole reason why she slept with Thomas in the first place. She just hoped nothing happened between the two of them. As she thought this, both of them got up and went outside. She watched as Bridget led Hawkeye into the woods. She narrowed her eyes at what they might me doing, but decided to trust them this time.

Michaela and Sandra watched them too, but they knew what they were doing so they did and said nothing.

"So this was our town square, Trading Post, Main Way, our Post Office, Service Desk, the Kitchen, and our Town Hall/My Place."

"You had quite a little town. It looks smaller than Ellsworth, but has more."

"I know." Bridget sat down on her 'throne' and gestured for Hawkeye to sit down. He looked around, but couldn't see anything to really sit on except a few rocks and some rotting logs. Instead he leaned against a tree and looked around him.

"This is it? Not much of a town."

"Oh there's more. There is always more." She went on to show him the two watchtowers, which were really just two climbing trees. She showed him Just In the Way where was Justin's house, a couple of friends' houses and a view of the swamp. Then they went down Green Way past the bank, hospital, mental hospital, the Green House (small town version of the white house), which was her house. Then down Ramona Road past the dance hall, museum, a few more houses and onto the Yellow Brick Road, past the guest house, an army fort a few more look outs until they got to the Winter Halls.

"You had that much stuff in your little town? Wow. You were quite an imaginative child."

"No, no. It's called Little Big Town."

"What is?"

"My town was called Little Big Town, after my favorite band."

She sat down on a pile of rocks and patted a rock next to her. He sat down and looked across the 'balcony' at the swamp. "How long did it take you to all of this?"

She thought about it a moment. "It depends whether you mean the first building or when we came up with the idea of a town. The first building was the Town Hall, but back then it was just my fort. Then it took us three days to clear off from the town square to the Green House."

Hawkeye whistled. "You were bust beavers weren't you?"

Bridget shrugged like it was no big deal. "Well, it was summer, we were bored, and it kept us out of the house."

They sat in silence for a while before Bridget asked, "So who were some of the people you called?"

"Well there was my dad, Radar, Klinger, Trapper, and Frank."

"Who's Trapper and how the hell did he get his name?"

"He was my tent mate before he was sent home and B.J. came into the picture. He got his name from an incident on a train. He was caught with a train stewardess in the bathroom. When they were found she said, 'He trapped me!' And he's been known as Trapper ever since."

"Hmm. Is he married?"

"Yes."

"Kids?"

"Yes."

"Does he still 'Trap'?"

"As far as I know."

"That's disgusting. Is he bringing his family to the wedding?"

"No, his wife is pregnant again so she can't travel."

"I hope he doesn't think about 'trapping' me. I'll show him I can't be trapped."

Hawkeye smiled. "I would like to see that."

"I bet you would."

They sat again in silence. Hawkeye watched her from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked with the way the shadows of the branches played on her face. Without thinking he leaned over to kiss her.

Bridget saw what was coming and stood up. She had a slight pained look on her face. "Please don't do that Hawkeye. I know you love Margaret, and so do I. Please don't do this to her." She left him in the woods feeling ashamed.

He knew he shouldn't have done it, but it was just instinct after all his years of womanizing. He would have to change his ways he knew if he was going to make this work with Margaret. He knew she didn't tolerate any of that sort of crap. He would have to change and now. Of course it would be rough to change your whole lifestyle, but he would do it for her.

He went back to the house and gave Margaret a big swoop of a kiss. When she asked why he did that, especially when she was trying to talk her dad into coming when he said he had other engagements, he said "You're the only woman I'm ever going to kiss again. I just wanted to remind myself that."

Margaret thought it a bit suspicious and couldn't see Bridget anywhere. She smiled at Hawkeye and reminded herself to talk to Bridget about why Hawkeye would do that after they had been alone in the woods.

"That's so sweet of you Hawkeye. I just hope you can remember that."

Hawkeye had a slight crease in his forehead. "I'm willing to try Margaret. I know it'll be difficult, but I'm going to try to stop for you."

"Well, it's the thought that counts." She turned away from him with the phone talking to her dad. "Yes, Dad. I'm here…"

Hawkeye watched her puzzled for a moment before going to his room to think about the honeymoon that was going to be taking place in five days.


	22. Chapter 22

Hey everybody! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to type this! I always get into a lull in my writing during the summer its killer for me as it is probably you. Well I hope you enjoy this and you have one more chance to tell me what you think about Bridget getting pregnant.

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Bridget sat in her truck in her parking space near the kitchen window and tried to rein in her thoughts. She knew Hawkeye loved Margaret, but she also knew he loved her. She still loved him, in a way, but there was no way she was going to steal him from Margaret. She loved her and wouldn't even dream of stealing her Prince Charming.

'But that's the thing isn't it? He is quite charming. He can charm any girl he wanted off her feet,' she thought to herself out loud, 'And probably her panties.'

She sighed. In order to help him stay faithful it would probably be best if she stayed with someone until after the wedding. Oh that's right. After the wedding. What was going to happen _after _the wedding? Are they planning on going to Maine or staying here in Michigan? Are they going to get their own place or would they all share the same home? She covered her face with her hand. She didn't know if she could trust herself around him if they lived in the same house for long. And she doubted if she could trust him either for that matter.

She sighed again. This was just to complicated for a simple secretary. Maybe later she could pack a bag and stay with Michaela or Sandra. She sat in her truck for a few more minutes before she climbed out and went inside. Margaret had just gotten off the phone with her Dad. She didn't seem to be in a big talkative mood, but she motioned Bridget to go into her room to talk.

They sat on Margaret's red and purple comforter.

Margaret looked at Bridget levelly. "What happened out there?"

Bridget looked at her like she didn't know what she was saying. "What?"

"Hawkeye just came in here and kissed me. I want to know what happened out there."

"He's engaged to you, isn't he? He can kiss you, can't he?"

"Damn it Bridget! Just tell me what happened!"

Bridget gave her a somber look. "I showed him Little Big Town in the woods."

"And…?"

"And nothing. I showed him Little Big Town."

Margaret gave a sigh. "I'm sorry. I just see you as a threat at the moment."

Bridget put a comforting arm around her friend. "I understand that's why I've decided to go to Michaela's or Sandra's house until after the wedding. Have you talked to Hawkeye about _after_ the wedding? Where you'll live?"

Margaret shook her head and sighed, "No, not yet. I should talk to him about it before the wedding, shouldn't I?"

"That would be a good idea, because I would like to know whether I need to find another place or not."

"Another place?"

"I can't live in the same house with you guys. Three's a crowd."

"If we stay in Michigan. We'll get our own place. We can't kick you out of _your_ home."

Bridget smiled at her. "That's ok. I think it's about time I found some new surroundings. Plus, if I'm pregnant, I'll have to look for a place for the baby."

"You can't move into a new place, if you're pregnant. It could be too strenuous on you."

"I might not be able to afford rent here Margaret. You know how expensive babies are? All the food and diapers. I would have to find a smaller place… or the father could take responsibilities for his actions."

Margaret looked at her doubtfully. "Maybe, maybe." Margaret looked at her watch. "Well, I should probably talk to Hawkeye about this whole living where thing before we go to bed. 'Night Bridget." She gave her a hug before heading out of the room.

Bridget sat there for a moment before getting up and going to her room and packing a bag for a few days. The next day when Sandra left, Bridget left with her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next four days were hectic as Margaret got last minute details taken care of for the wedding. She did talk to Hawkeye about the whole living arrangement thing and they decided they wanted to live in Maine. His family of course lived there, but Margaret had a sister in Vermont and she wanted to spend some time with her. So it looked like Bridget got to keep her home, but now she wouldn't have a roomy to help share the rent.

The day before the wedding found Bridget pacing in her room. She was so nervous about what tomorrow might bring. Was she going to be a mother or not? The suspense was killing her. Maybe she should have taken a pregnancy test? No, no, she didn't want to know that way. Plus, most of the time you can never tell what it means, and of course they have been known to be wrong.

Margaret came into her room with the dress she would wear as the Maid of Honor. She hung the black clothes protection bag on a hook on the closet door. She watched Bridget for a moment before hugging her close.

"It's ok. Everything's going to be just ok. What happens, happens. Okay? There is no need to wear down your floor."

Bridget snuffled a few times before giving a small smile. "You're right. You are so right. I shouldn't worry until I know for sure about it."

"Yes, I know I'm right. Aren't I always? Now, if you would try on your dress so we can make sure it fits this time."

Bridget unzipped the bag and tried on the dress. It fit in just the right way. She looked at herself in the mirror as Margaret admired the dress.

"That dress looks great."

"Yeah, it does, but not as good as your dress."

"Well, it is _my_ day," said Margaret with a light laugh.

Bridget turned around and gave Margaret a hug. "Are you sure you're ok with marrying him so soon after he proposed?"

"Yes, well we couldn't let a wedding go to waste, now could we?"

Bridget laughed and slipped out of the dress that would later mark an important day in her life. She put it back on the hanger in the bag and zipped it up. She put on her jeans and a t-shirt.

"I hope you have a great day tomorrow Margaret. You deserve it after all that you've been through in your life." She gave her another hug with a big squeeze.

"Thanks Bridget. I hope so, I hope so too."

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Last Chance everyone to tell me if you think Bridget should be pregnant! Tell me now if you want it counted in the final tally!


	23. Chapter 23

Here is the chapter where we find out if Bridget is pregnant or not. I hope you like it! Thanks for everyone who left me a review about what they think should happen. I got a total of 8 votes. I would just like a moment to thank them. Thank you maximom4077, theswordkilledthepen, Windturf, minerva's-kitten, Merddyn, and of course beahawk. And a special thanks to my friends who have reviewed my stuff, Meg, Sandra, and Michaela. Now, I hope you enjoy this as much I as enjoy bringing this to you! I hope you like my decision.

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The morning of the wedding day found a many anxious people running around. Hawkeye was trying to find the tickets for their honeymoon, but he seemed to have misplaced them. He called his best men to come over and help him. They came over and scoured the whole house in search of the AWOL tickets.

Margaret didn't seem to notice since she had her own problems. The hairdresser/make-up artist was late by half an hour. The wedding was set to start at noon and they had a lot to do. Luckily at least her Maid of Honor was there along with her bridesmaids.

Bridget had arrived a half-hour before she was actually needed, because there was always something that needed to be done, and she was right. Margaret was getting upset and wouldn't eat any of the eggs and bacon she had made for her, though she did nibble on the toast.

Margaret sat in the kitchen on one of the stools that was on one side of the island sighing every time she looked at the clock. She was waiting for the woman that was going to make her presentable for her big day. She should have been there a long time ago.

Finally the doorbell rang. Meg one of her bridesmaids opened the door and ushered the woman in. Margaret was thinking about going all bridezilla on her ass, but the woman interrupted her.

"I'm so, so sorry I was late. My car wouldn't start for the longest time. I tried to call you but I had somehow locked myself out of my house. Luckily my neighbor gave me a lift. I'll have to call a locksmith later so I can get into my house. But enough of that. We need to get to work."

She heaved her case onto the island and soon had it conquered by her tools of the trade. She set about doing her hair first and put it into a bun with cascading curls going down her neck. She then put on a light layer of makeup on her. She didn't want to be too flashy because her dress was just enough for such a description.

The dress was of light cream brocade with swirls of an iridescent pearl beading on the skirt. The wide empire waist looked wonderful on her, showing all her nice curves. The sleeves started at the top of her upper arms, leaving her shoulders bare, and down to her hands were there was just a hint of lace. The bodice was mostly left bare except a flower at were her cleavage started with twining vines along the top of the dress.

When Klinger had given it to her, she had given a soft gasp. When she put it on it fit perfectly. When asked about it Klinger just gave a sly grin and a shrug.

"I knew someone from the four-oh-seventy-seven was going to need a dress. I always figured you would be the first."

"But what about the sizing?"

"I started this dress while still in the Army. I just had to look up your measurements in your file."

Margaret just looked at herself in the mirror forgetting about the crime of looking through her file when those were highly classified. It didn't matter anyways. It was more than three years ago and she wasn't in the Army anymore.

"But what if I had gotten fatter?"

"Then I could always add more cloth, not that I imagined that you would have. You're too much of a stickler for looks."

Margaret gave him a look and Klinger held up his hands as if to surrender. "Don't mind me, I'm just the dress maker."

The rest of the women in the bridal party had to go to a store for their dresses, but they were beautiful all the same. The bridesmaids were Michaela, Sandra, and Meg.

Meg had been gone because of some difficulties with her husband's mother down in Tennessee. They had to stay down there a few months because of her downhill health. Her husband was an only child and the only one to take care of her since his dad had died two years ago. Finally she had died peacefully in her sleep. So they came back up just in time for the wedding. Meg's husband Dr. David Cook was a top-notch doctor at the hospital. He was the key man at heart surgery.

The bridesmaids' dresses were a dusty blue and made of chiffon. They had a square halter top with a single line of beading at the edge of the halter done in silver. Then there was a dark blue flair at the hemming of the dress that crackled like a fire when they walked.

Bridget had her dress on too. It was the same dark blue as the flair of the bridesmaids with a dusty blue flair. It was also made of chiffon with an empire waist with a band of silver beading.

The girls waited patiently for the hairdresser/make-up artist finished with Margaret before they could have their own stuff down. Again it was all simple. Simple twists and buns with minimal make-up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

All too soon it seemed it was the big moment. Everyone was sitting in their respective seats in the church whispering among themselves how well everything looked. Hawkeye and his best men were already standing at the alter. Down the aisle came Bridget in her flowing dress that got a good many whispers of appreciation.

Then came the bridesmaids with their own dates. Meg was with her husband, David, who looked very dashing in a tailored pinstripe suit, Sandra with Lucas, and Michaela with her fiancée Darrell. All of them got their share of whistles, but when the wedding march started up after the flower girl and everyone stood up many people forgot about the rest of the wedding party.

Margaret looked so spectacular in her dress. Her face shone with happiness as she took the last steps of her single life into a life of wedded bliss. Hawkeye looked so proud and handsome when he saw his bride. His face glowed and his smile practically spilt his face in half.

The vows were short and sweet and soon enough Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were in the limo that was going to take them to the Banks Township Hall in Ellsworth.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Hawkeye who was looking at his bride said, "I can't believe this day actually came."

Margaret was busy looking at herself in a small handheld mirror. "Why?"

"I'd never have thought that you felt the same way about me."

"I've loved you since 1952."

"Really? That was the same time I loved you too."

Margaret looked at him with a dazzling smile. "Aww. That seems like fate, if ever I heard of it."

Then she gave him a kiss that lasted till they got to their reception. When the limo stopped Margaret and Hawkeye looked out at the Hall.

Hawkeye sighed, "Do we really have to go inside?"

Margaret gave a small laugh, "Unfortunately we have to. We paid for it, we should enjoy it. I am wondering where we're going for our honeymoon though."

"Well, you're not anything from me copper!" said Hawkeye as he jumped out of the limo and opened the door of the hall for his new bride.

They went inside and were welcomed warmly by all the guests. They went around to everyone welcoming them and thanking them for coming.

Now that the wedding was over Margaret was worried about Bridget. Today was the day that she was supposed to know if she was pregnant or not. She had asked that morning, but she had shook her head meaning that there was nothing yet. There had been a slight look of fear on her face, but she soon replaced it with a smile, it was Margaret's big day after all.

Margaret couldn't find her in the throng of well wishers, so she excused herself to the bathroom. The only place she could hide unless she was under a skirt of one of the wedding party was the bathrooms. She went inside and heard someone crying, but it was muffled. Margaret knocked on the only closed stall calling softly.

"What's the matter Bridget?"

Bridget scrambled off the toilet seat and opened the stall door. Margaret could see that she was crying because all her eye make-up was running down her face. She couldn't quite tell if it was sad tears or happy tears.

"What is it?"

"I don't know what 'it' is, but…. Margaret, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant."

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Yes. No. Maybe so? Tell me what you think about my decision. Should I have done it differently? Don't be afraid to vent your feelings on me! Next chapter should be soon.


	24. Chapter 24

I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry it has taken me so long to get this up you guys!! My dad decided I don't get the computer on weekends, which is when I did all my writing since I have so much homework during the week. Anyways... I hope you enjoy this is much as I did writing it!!! The next chapter I'm sure shouldn't take too long to ge up since I'm especially excited to write it!! Bridget tells Thomas about the baby!!

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Little unsure of what to do Margaret just stepped forward and gave Bridget a gentle hug. "I'm sure everything will be alright. Just calm down. Just calm down, take a few deep breaths."

"Now that it's true. I don't know what to do!"

"Just take one day at a time, that is all you _can_ do. But you should tell Thomas some time soon though, to see if he wants to be a part of the baby's life."

Bridget took some toilet paper from the roll and blotted at her face. "I know. Maybe after here or maybe tomorrow."

"Well, whenever or whatever happens don't be afraid to call me and talk. I'm sure Hawkeye gave you the number that we can be reached at?"

"Yeah. You know where you are going yet?"

"No, he's keeping it in close wraps. You know where the area code is for?"

Bridget shook her head. "Nope. Nowhere around here."

"Ok. Whatever, I just hope its good. He better too, for his sake. Are you going to be ok? Can you come out? Because I think they're calling for the bride and groom dance."

Bridget wiped at her face before looking in the mirror. "Oh, I look like crap!" She quickly washed her face and applied a light layer of make-up. She smiled at Margaret with an evident sign of fakeness. "Ok, let's go! We can't let your groom think you went AWOL."

They came out of the bathroom and Hawkeye gave them a look that said, 'And where have you been?' Then he noticed Bridget's red-rimmed eyes, which he'd seen too often lately. He quickly understood and offered his arm to his bride for their dance. He shot Bridget a reassuring smile before heading to the dance floor and putting his arms around Margaret.

Bridget stood next to the wedding party table for a while watching the newlywed couple and hoping she could have her own dance soon. Rudolph slid next to her and put his hands behind his back.

"A good couple, don't you think?"

Bridget nodded. "Yeah. They're so lucky to have found each other."

"Would you mind going outside for a while for a breath of fresh air? It's kinda warm in here."

"Sure. I bet my face looks like a tomato, I'm so overheated."

When they got outside Bridget shivered. The cool night air felt so good. "I can't believe that's already nighttime."

"Time sure flies when you're having fun."

They stood in compatible silence for a moment looking at the stars and the moon that was starting to rise. Bridget could tell that Rudolph had something on his mind, but knew better than to press him about it. He would tell her when he was ready. After another moment the silence was broken by a cough. Bridget turned towards Rudolph and was surprised to see him on a knee. Knowing what was going on she became nervous and shuffled her feet.

"Bridget Potter, would you be my wife?"

Bridget looked down at Rudolph's handsome face hesitantly. She wasn't so sure about this. She loved him dearly, but marriage? Did she like him enough to marry him? Plus, it was so sudden! Sure, they had gone on a few dates, flirted a bit during work, but to this level?

"Um, Rudolph…I'm very flattered, but I'm not sure…"

Rudolph quickly stood back up. "If you don't want to, I can understand. We haven't really been courting, but I've always felt a certain connection between us."

"I do like you very much Rudolph, but this is so sudden. Could you give me a few days to think about it? To figure out my feelings?"

Rudolph looked slightly pained, but nodded his head. "Yes, I can do that."

Bridget smiled up at him, "Thank you," and stood on her tiptoes to give him a small kiss. "We should probably get back to the party, before people miss us. Would you like to consider this as part of the wooing?"

Rudolph smiled at her. "Sure. You know you look very lovely tonight?"

"Thanks Rudolph. Would you care to dance when we get inside?"

"Why, I would be delighted Ms. Potter."

They started to chuckle as they went through the door. They sounded like they were from the Old South. When they got inside the bride and groom were still dancing but other couples were getting on the floor. They joined the couples and got funny looks from the newlyweds. They just shrugged and smiled as they continued to dance.

Later that night the groom and bride bade goodnight to their guests and climbed into the limo that would take them wherever Hawkeye had given orders to be taken. It took them to a little bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town. Margaret thought it kind of weird, but guessed that it was so late that he didn't want to take a red-eye to what ever their destination was.

When they got to their room Margaret got a little nervous, but relaxed when Hawkeye said, "It's ok. I'm perfectly fine just spending the night with you in my arms. We can work on it some other time."

Margaret smiled at him and gave him a big hug. "Thank you Hawkeye. I can at least give you a big wet kiss." She grabbed his head and brought it down to her level and gave him a full kiss. Hawkeye was surprised, but liked it very much.

They laid down on the bed and talked through the night, until Margaret feel asleep on his arm. When morning came a motherly woman knocked on their door for their wake up call and brought in breakfast. They ate happily and when they were finished they freshened up and got back into the limo that would take them to the airport, but instead they went through Ellsworth to a farm on the outskirts.

When the car pulled up the driveway Margaret looked at Hawkeye confused until she saw the family that stood at the door waving. There was a man and a woman who stood on their stoop and a five-year-old boy sitting in the grass playing with a truck, but what caught her attention was the baby girl sitting next to the five-year-old. She had soft brown hair with a little curl and a face that was now in a very familiar look of disgust as her brother started to claw in the dirt for bugs.

Margaret turned to Hawkeye and Hawkeye gave her a smile and a nod. Tears started to well in her eyes as she looked at the beautiful girl sitting on the ground. She carefully stepped out of the limo and walked towards the parents, but she kept her eyes on the little girl the whole time. The couple smiled at her and Margaret turned her attention to them.

"You must be Margaret. Your husband told us you might drop by to see your daughter," said the man. He held out his hand for her to shake. She gripped it and he said, "I'm Andy, this is my wife Debbie, James our boy, and of course Alicia our/your daughter."

Margaret turned back towards the baby girl sitting on the grass now digging in the ground with her brother making mud pies. "Can I talk to her?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

A little unsure at first Margaret hesitated. What would she say to the little tyke? Could she just go up to her and say, "I'm your real mommy."? No, that would just confuse her. Maybe when she was older she would explain it to her, but a simple hello would suffice right now. She collected herself before she slowly went over to where the kids were playing and knelt beside Alicia.

Alicia looked up at her and gave her a toothy smile with a few teeth. "Want a pie?" she said as she looked up.

Margaret could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she looked down at the beautiful baby that had come from her body, but hadn't seen her since she had given her away. She looked so beautiful. Her hair remaindered her so much of hers and her smile was a mirror image of her own.

"Sure, I would love one," she said with a big smile.

Alicia scooped up one of the pies she had made already and held it up. Margaret took it in her hand and pretended to gobble it up. Alicia laughed at Margaret and hit her hand making the mud hit Margaret square in the face. At the startled look on Margaret's face Alicia rolled onto her back and started giggling uncontrollably. Andy came to her with a handkerchief ready so she could wipe her face, but before he got there Margaret started laughing with Alicia and threw a small gob of mud from her face at Alicia, who got more mud and threw it at her. Before everyone knew it, it was a big mud fight involving everyone. Andy threw some at his son and James threw some at his mom. Hawkeye came out of the car and started to throw some too, but mostly it was between Margaret and Alicia. When they were finished they were all covered in mud and smelling like a barn. Andy offered Margaret and Hawkeye towels to wipe themselves and they all tried to get the mud off.

Margaret watched as Debbie wiped mud off Alicia and couldn't help, but feel jealous of the mother. Of course maybe someday she would have a baby that she could keep. She leaned against Hawkeye and he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Thank you Hawkeye. I needed to see her, but just couldn't find the courage to come out here."

"I know. It didn't take me long to find the address. Consider this part of my wedding gift to you." He kissed her ear and held her close. "Maybe someday we can have kids of our own."

"That would be nice, once we get past the mechanics of making one first."

"Come on. We better get to the airport before our plane takes off."

"And where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh come on! I don't like surprises!"

"Fine. Fine. I'll tell you." He whispered it in her ear and her eyes got big.

"Really? We're going to Paris? How can you afford it?"

"My family chipped in and I think your dad sent a few bucks too."

Margaret turned in his arm and threw her arms around his neck. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I can't believe it! Paris! Imagine that! I love you!"

Margaret and Hawkeye then quickly said goodbye to Andy and his family. Margaret gave Alicia a big hug and promised to come see her again soon. They loaded into the car and drove away. As the car left the farm Margaret waved out of the back window and watched as the family waved back at her until they were gone around a bend.

Margaret sighed and nestled into the crook of Hawkeye's arm. This was such a great day. She got to see her baby girl she had given up and now she was on her way to Paris. Paris! The City of Lights and home of the Eiffel Tower! She just couldn't believe that she was going to spend her honeymoon in Paris. She closed her eyes and cuddled closer to Hawkeye. This was the best day of her life.


	25. Chapter 25

Again I know this is late, but I'm starting to make room for my writing. This is sort of like an early Christmas present for you guys so I hope you like it... It's the one you've been waiting for! Bridget tells Thomas! I had fun writing this one and had help from my special someone who I put in this chapter as a little thank you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy bringing it to you!

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Bridget sat in her truck and took a deep breath. She looked out her window and could feel her heart pounding at what she would soon be doing. She collected her thoughts a moment before gathering her courage and opening her door. She quickly walked over to the door and rapped on it.

"Enter at your own risk!" called a voice from inside.

She walked inside and her heart sank when she realized Thomas had company. She hadn't seen a car in the driveway, so she hadn't suspected it. She followed the voices to the kitchen and found Thomas having a cup of coffee with someone.

Thomas saw her and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "Bridget? What are you doing here? Can I get you some coffee?"

"I came to talk to you about something."

The person who had been talking to Thomas turned around to look at her. He had a slight baby-ish face with brown hair. He was big, but it was of bone structure than fat. He wore some sweats and looked like he had been jogging.

Thomas gave a slightly interested look before introducing his friend. "This is Jordan, the local mortician."

Bridget nodded in knowledge to Jordan. "You run the Moffat practice?"

"Yeah."

Bridget nodded before turning her attention to Thomas. "I need to talk to you alone."

Thomas gave a nod before politely asking Jordan to leave.

"I needed to go anyways. I have an appointment in an hour." He downed the rest of his coffee and gave a whistle. A big dog she hadn't noticed before jumped up from the corner and happily walked over to Jordan.

It was a BIG dog and had a face sort of like a bear cub. It had blackish brown hair and webbed feet. And it had powerful looking hind legs.

"Whoa. What kind of dog is that?" asked Bridget. She thought she knew her animals but this one was new to her.

"A Newfoundland," said Jordan as he messed with the dog's ears. "Her name is Joan. Wanna pet her?"

Bridget slowly petted the dog's head and could see a thread of drool come out of the dog's mouth. "Bit of a drooler isn't she?"

Jordan noticed and laughed before taking a napkin and catching the slobber before it got to the floor. "Yeah, she does." He stood up and clipped a leash onto Joan's collar. "Nice meeting you Bridget. Talk to you later Thomas." He left through the kitchen door and Thomas and Bridget watched him go up to the road turn right and jog back home.

After he left there was a tense moment before Thomas turned to her with a guarded look on his face. "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

Bridget sat down at the chair Jordan had just vacated and placed her hand over his on the table. "Remember last week when I showed up late at night and asked to spend the night with you?"

Thomas nodded yes and got an inkling what it might mean.

"Well the result of our…night together…is that…" Bridget took a deep breath and pushed back the tears that have been threatening to spill every time she thought of it. "I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant with our baby!" She took her hand back and hid her face in her hands. She didn't want to see what his face looked like, but if she had looked she would have seen that his face didn't change in any way.

His mind was a-whirl though. 'A baby? How did this happen?' Well of course, he knew how babies were made, but he was going to be a dad? How the hell could he be a dad to a kid? He was just in his early thirties and he tended to stay away from kids. The drool just set him off. Of course the older ones didn't drool, but still…

"Are you sure?" he asked after a minute of the news.

Bridget took away her hands and looked at him sadly before nodding. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm late a day."

"But can't even that be varied?"

"Yeah, but I've been on a shecuale for years now of when I start."

"Could you take a test to make sure?"

"Why? Don't you trust me? Don't you think that I would come here and tell you I'm pregnant if I wasn't sure?" Bridget was getting a little heated up. She knew that this wasn't planned and all but he was being foolish. Why would she go there unless she was sure she was going to carry a little life inside of her?

"I just want to make sure before we start planning anything."

"Ok. I guess I could buy a test, but I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant." She looked at Thomas and studied his face. It was as blank as a piece of paper. She put her hand over his and looked him in the eye.

"Do you want to be in my baby's life? I need to know right now, before I get too emotionally involved in this with you."

Thomas thought for a moment. He was still freaking about the whole baby thing, but could he stay with her and the baby? He imagined a little being walking around that looked like the two of them. Could he stay and help it and Bridget? Could he be there for the major and minor moments alike? Watch their baby grow up and have possible babies of it's own. He figured he could. Even though he generally disliked kids he wanted one deep down, now there was only one question. Could he have a baby with _her? _

Sure he liked her, he liked her very much, but to _have_ a baby with her? He wasn't sure about that. Sure they had gone out a while, but there hadn't and wasn't much between them really. Did he really have to _be_ with her if he was going to be part of the baby's life? If he wanted to explain why it's mommy and daddy didn't live together and didn't act like the other mommies and daddies, then he might have to. Could he marry Bridget even though it was for the sake of their kid's sanity?

He looked back at her. He liked her, but he couldn't marry her.

"I want to be part of our baby's life, but that's all. I can't marry you."

Bridget got a surprised look on her face. "Marry me? I never expected you to marry me, just help with the baby."

Now it was Thomas' turn to look surprised. "You didn't expect me to marry you?"

"No. You're a good friend, but I couldn't marry you."

"Good then."

There was an awkward silence before Bridget asked him, "What do you think of the names Jacklyn and David?"


	26. Chapter 26

I'm so sorry this took so long. I was stuck of what to do, then I had school, had to deal with a bad breakup... But here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do bringing it to you!

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They bustled into the airport and Margaret was starting to get ornery. "They can't even speak English on a plane coming from America? What is wrong with these people! Just because we're going to their country it doesn't mean we have to hear them on the way here!"

Hawkeye gave a chuckle at his new bride. "It's fine Margaret. Really it is. She also spoke English if you recall. It's an International flight, I think they sort of have to know different languages in order to relate to their customers."

"I just want a burger and fries now."

"Your wish is my command m' lady. I shall fetch thee a burger and fries."

Margaret smiled up at him and gave him a wave of her hand. "Go fetch then. I'm gonna find a place to rest my feet."

"You were sitting for hours on the plane!"

"But those seats aren't very comfortable."

"The seats in the terminal aren't all that better."

"At least I can stretch out my legs!"

Hawkeye chuckled again. "That is very true as long as you don't end up kicking someone's luggage over."

Margaret gave a theatrical huff before grabbing her luggage and going over to where most of the airport was congregated. It was kind of hard to find an available seat but she was able to find one and gratefully sat down. She closed her eyes and stretched out her legs just to notice that her feet pushed someone's luggage over. She sat up to apologize to the person and was welcomed by a pair of shining green eyes.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize your luggage was there Mr…"

"Mr. Beaufort but you can call me Eugéne. You are American?"

"Yes I am. My name is Margaret Houl… Pierce."

"Houlpierce? That's a very interesting last name," laughed the new gentleman. "I am then correct to observe you are newly married? What other place is more romantic than to have your honeymoon than in Paris, oui?"

"Well we just got here. I have yet to see how romantic it is."

"Oh trust me. When you see the Eiffel Tower in her lights it will make anyone fall in love with this place."

"I'm sure I will."

Just then Hawkeye turned up with a paper plate with Margaret's burger and fries. "Here you go baby." He noticed the man she was talking to and stiffened a little bit in defense. The stranger was very handsome and of course he had to be French. He gave a lukewarm smile and held out his hand to the man. "My name's Hawkeye Pierce. Who are you?"

"Hawkeye! You don't need to be so rude!"

"I wasn't rude. I just asked him who he was."

Eugéne laughed. "It is perfectly fine Cheri. I would be defensive too if a handsome man started talking to my beautiful wife."

"So you're not married?" asked Margaret.

"Sadly, no. My little flower outgrew me and is now living happily in a little village outside the city with a butcher. Not so much of a little flower anymore though." He gave a little laugh and smiled warmly at them. "So where is the happy couple spending their time here in Paris?"

"In the Hotel Raphael. It was recommended to us by her dad," answered Hawkeye.

"Do you know the place?" asked Margaret eager to keep the French man talking. She rather liked him and found his bearing of himself magnetic.

Hawkeye however didn't like the man for the fact he seemed to have caught his wife's eye. He looked down at his wife's left hand and saw the ring he had put on her finger only a few weeks ago. He reached down, grasped her hand, and squeezed her hand making sure he put enough pressure on her ring finger that she could feel the ring on her hand.

Margaret gave him a bit of a sour look before turning back to Eugéne who answered her. "Actually I do. I live there semi-permanently."

"You live in the hotel? How can you _afford_ it? It's costing us an arm and a leg for the weekend!" exclaimed Hawkeye. He hadn't told Margaret how much it cost but it was one of the top-notch places to stay in Paris.

"I help manage it. It was my uncle's hotel and I run it with his sons now that he is deceased. He took me in when my parents were killed in an automobile accident and was like a father to me."

"That was nice of him to take you in," said Margaret.

"Yeah it was. I can take you there if you want. I had just come back from a trip from New York City. We're thinking of starting up a place there and I was voted to go check out the place we had our eye on."

"Sure! We'd love to. I don't know if we could ever find our way here."

"Margaret, I think if we could navigate Korea we can navigate Paris. Can't be all that hard to find. It's a big posh place isn't it?"

"Yes it is. Just a few blocks away actually. I can still show you the way."

"No thanks…"

"Hawkeye, lets have him show us. He _lives_ there he should know where it is."

Hawkeye leaned in close to Margaret, "I don't think it's a good idea though to go with this stranger. How can we know that he does live there and all that?"

Margaret gave him a look. "What do you think he'll do to us? Take us down some dark alley and rob us? He seems like a nice enough guy. Why can't we trust him?"

"I don't like him."

"Why?" Then after a moment when he didn't answer Margaret glared at him. "You think I'll cheat on you? I would never do that to you." She softened her look and squeezed the hand she held. "I love you Hawkeye. I would never risk losing you."

Hawkeye gave her a smile and a kiss on the lips. "Thanks, Baby."

"So am I going to take you to the hotel or not?" interjected Eugéne.

Hawkeye looked at Margaret and while not taking his eyes off her said, "Sure. Let us just gather our luggage."

They followed Eugéne out of the airport and Hawkeye slipped his arm around Margaret's waist and kissed the top of her head in anticipation of their honeymoon. Of course they would have to get over Margaret's intimacy issue but he was sure if they took it slow they could leap over that hurdle. He pulled her tighter and she looked up at him with a big excited smile on her face and his heart leaped with joy. He was so lucky to have her. He just wished he was lucky enough to _keep_ her.


	27. Chapter 27

Sorry it's been a while folks but I'm going to start pushing myself to at least get them out in a reasonable time. I hope you enjoy this chapter though it's kinda short for me.

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"I like them but don't we have a while yet until we really have to figure this out?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I've always liked those names… Might come into handy if I have twins."

Thomas' face turned white. "Twins? How the hell could you possibly know if you'll have twins?"

"It runs in both my dad's and my mom's families. It's a high chance I might." Now that she was talking about it out in the open she didn't feel that scared. She knew Thomas would help with everything so she was happy for the support from her child or children's' father. She knew her family and friends would help too.

"Jeez… Twins… Now that would make everything difficult."

She nodded. "Having one baby isn't easy. I can't imagine twins. Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves though. Maybe wait a few more days to make sure then go on from there?"

"Sounds good to me. Call me when you know or need anything."

She thanked him, gave him a hug and left. When she got home she went to her room and cuddled with a pillow. Now that she knew she had his support she still felt alone and wanted to just cry. No one else knew of her pregnancy other than Margaret. Maybe she should tell her friends and family? She decided she would but just not at the moment. She still had her surprise proposal to think about.

She didn't know much about Rudolph and he had just popped the question out of the blue. Did he think of her as a trophy wife? She couldn't see that coming from him though. He was too nice to be shallow like that, wasn't he? Well she wasn't pretty enough to be a trophy wife anyways. So that couldn't be the reason. They had only dated a few times, true she had a great time with him but she wasn't sure at all about it. Could she spend the rest of her life with him? Then a thought occurred to her. Would he still want her if he found out she was pregnant with another man's child, or possibly children? Any other man wouldn't, not in this time frame but he was so nice, could he maybe be different?

All these questions were giving her a headache. Just as if on cue Percy, Delilah and Salem scuttled/ran to her and tried to comfort her. Percy of course couldn't get on the bed so she had to pick him up and he gave her a look that said, "Don't worry, it'll figure out."

Delilah and Salem purred as if agreeing with Percy and rubbed against her body. "Maybe you're right but I still need to think about it, maybe just not now though. I think I need a nap." She put Percy on the bed and curled up on her side and was about to fall asleep when the doorbell rang. She expected Margaret to get it since her room was closer but then she remembered that Margaret was on her honeymoon with Hawkeye.

Grumbling she got up and answered the door. At the door was a woman wearing khaki shorts and a button down blouse with a straw hat that covered her bushy brown hair. She smiled when she saw Bridget and asked, "Are you Bridget Potter?"

"Yes I am."

"I have a skunk for you. She's beautiful, I must tell you."

Bridget blinked at her in surprise. "A skunk? Where did she come from?"

"A friend of yours bought her from me for you. He asked if I'd deliver her and usually I don't do that service but he paid me extra for it."

"Who is it from?" She couldn't think of who would get her a female skunk. Rudolph? As a 'wedding' present? Rudolph wasn't all that keen on Percy though he would take care of him and stuff when she was gone.

The woman looked down at her chart, "Umm… Benjamin Pierce. He said you had a lonely little fella that needed some female company."

Hawkeye got her a female skunk? For Percy? She smiled at the woman and signed the board where the woman told her to and looked down at the cat crate she now noticed on the porch. "Is she in there?"

"Mhm. Would you like to see her?"

Bridget nodded and the woman slowly lifted the cloth she had draped over it. She looked in and saw a beautiful example of a skunk. "She's lovely."

"Well she's yours now. Take care of her. If you ever have any questions you can just call me. Here's my card." Bridget took the card and read:

Harriet Folsom "Skunk Extraordinaire"

Then there was an address from Ohio and a telephone number.

"Thanks," said Bridget. "I've been looking all over for a girl for my Percy."

"Well now you have one. Have a great day!" Harriet got into her van, waved at Bridget and drove down the driveway to the road.

Bridget looked at the skunk and picked up the carrier. "Percy! Percy, come here! I got a surprise for you!" She heard him gallop from her room and look up at her and the carrier she had. She set it down and let the skunks sniff each other and get used to each other before opening the door to the carrier. The girl skunk came out and Percy continued to sniff her from head to tail as she did the same. Finally they were done and Percy just left to go is box in Bridget's closet leaving his 'girlfriend' in the front hall.

Bridget gave a little laugh and shook her head. Hopefully he'll grow to like his new friend. She knelt down and held out her hand to her pet. The skunk sniffed her and deemed her not an enemy and commenced to explore her new home.

"Welcome home Carmilla," she said as the skunk sniffed a chair.

Bridget fixed up a box for Carmilla near Percy's and set out bowls for her food and water. After that she went to town to her mother's Inn and helped out for a few hours.

Before she left her mother asked to her in her room. Her mother sat her down on the bed and sat next to her. "Something seems to be bothering you."

Bridget gave a wary look. She had tried not to act like something was up. She didn't want to tell her parents yet that she was pregnant until she knew for sure.

"Nothing is bothering me."

"Don't lie to me. I can tell you are. What's the matter?"

"Percy has a girlfriend now. Hawkeye bought her for me."

Her mother studied her for a moment and said, "That's not it. Why would you be upset about that unless you care for Hawkeye?"

"I'm not upset about that."

"Then you're obviously upset about something."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You'll have to talk about it eventually."

"Not now. I don't even know if I need to be worrying about anything."

Her mother gave a nod in understanding and patted her hand. "You can talk to me whenever you want to about anything."

Bridget gave her mom a hug. "I know. Thanks mom."

She went home, cuddled up on her bed with her pets and fell asleep.


	28. Chapter 28

Here is the next installment of 'Have You Ever Danced In the Rain?' I still have more ideas so bear with me as I try to get all of this down. I just hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you!

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Eugéne showed them to the hotel with no incidents and even checked them into the hotel. He showed them to their room and even though it wasn't a Honeymoon suite and was very nice and elegant. Hawkeye gave a whistle when he saw the bed and jokingly asked why there were so many pillows on the bed.

"I can't even sit on it! There are so many."

"Well you paid for the best hotel in the city, sir. You paid for the extravagance."

"Well I sure did, had to make this honeymoon better than the lady's first one? What was it again dear? A little hanky panky in Tokyo's finest?"

"Hawkeye! That is totally inappropriate!" said Margaret aghast. "And isn't making _this_ honeymoon any better."

Hawkeye looked ashamed before asking if Eugéne wanted a tip.

"Oh no no no no no. I wanted to help my new friends. I will be seeing you at dinner?"

"When is it?" asked Margaret slightly surprised.

Eugéne looked at his watch. "In twenty minutes."

"We can make it I'm sure. We really don't have much to unpack."

"Ok, I will you two later." He gave a bow out of the room and when he left Hawkeye thought he saw an oily smile and dangerous glint in his eyes.

"I still don't like him Margaret. When he left it seemed to me that he was happy that we were fighting."

"Hawkeye you're being just ridiculous! He is a nice man! And we weren't even fighting."

"I still didn't like the look in his eye when he left."

"That's enough. I don't want to hear anything more about this! He is our host and we should be respectful of him."

Hawkeye grumbled before starting to unpack. The dressers in the room were very fashionable yet very roomy. His stuff took two drawers and Margaret's took three.

When Margaret got to the bottom of her bag she saw something she didn't notice as her's. When she pulled out the offensive cloth she found it was rumpled velvet dress with a collar like thing that would go around her neck with a slit on the chest that would be between her breasts.

"Hawkeye what is this?"

Hawkeye smiled when he came over and saw her puzzling over it. "Oh this ratty ole thing? It's just a present from me to you for our marriage."

"You got me a present? I didn't even get you anything."

Hawkeye put his arms around her waist and looked into her eyes. "You already did when you said you'd marry me instead of Rudolph."

"I was doing it just to spite you though."

"You still made me the happiest man on earth when you said yes."

Margaret gave a big smile and said, "I can't stay angry at you too long. You're too charming."

"I was hoping it was my sexiness."

"Well that too."

Hawkeye offered his arm to Margaret and said rather stately, "Shall we go ma' am?"

Giggling Margaret said, "We shall," and took his pro-offered arm after throwing her dress onto the bed to be taken care of later...

They went down to dinner and when they entered they noticed that they were well underdressed for the situation but before they could go and change Eugéne saw them and showed them to a table. He sat with them and they were having a fun time but Hawkeye kept thinking he saw Eugéne casting glances at Margaret. He knew better now than to bring it up to Margaret again so he just kept it to himself but vowed he'll keep them apart.

The next day Margaret sent out her dress to be pressed so she could wear it for dinner that night. While they waited, Hawkeye and Margaret went to see the sights of Paris in the summer. They went to the Louvre in the morning to see the Mona Lisa and sculptures by Gianlorenzo Bernini. They wanted to stay longer but they were only in Paris for a couple of days and had lots more to see. In the afternoon they went to the Notre Dame Cathedral and Margaret joked about how they should have gotten married in the Cathedral instead of in a small church in Norwood.

Hawkeye looked around and said, "I doubt we could afford it let alone fill this place."

They took a boat tour down the Seine River and saw the sights down that way. They got off and made their way to the Arc de Triomphe where they did the touristy thing and took pictures with it in the background. They were too tired to see the Eiffel Tower that day so they promised to see it the next night when it was all alight. They went back to the hotel and spent the night comfortably in each other's arms.

The next day they spent their time shopping in the little shops and ate lunch in a small busy café. They had a great time and laughed all day. They bought all the obvious tourist things and when it got dark out they went to the Eiffel Tower.

They got to the top and Margaret's eyes couldn't help but light up at the sights below. "Oh Hawkeye! This is just perfect! It's so beautiful!"

Hawkeye wrapped his arm around his bride and moved closer to the railing. "It is rather nice up here."

"I'm so glad we came here. I just love everything here, the people, the food, the culture, the sights, and the sounds. Oh Hawkeye I want to live here!"

Hawkeye, laughing at his wife's excitement, "I know you do babe but we have family and friends in the States. I would think that after three years away from them because of that damn war that you wouldn't want to be away from them again."

"Well why can't they all just move here then so we don't have to be away from them?"

Hawkeye laughed again. "Oh Margaret, did you know that you're sexy when you're excited for something?"

Now it was Margaret's turn to laugh. "Hawkeye! You're such a smooth talker. We'll just see how much of a smooth talker you'll be later tonight."

"Oh does that mean something might be happening then?"

Margaret now with a serious but loving face turned to Hawkeye. "I do think I'm ready to try tonight, Benjamin."

Hawkeye looked surprised when she said his real name but nodded. "We don't have to do it unless you're absolutely sure Margaret. I don't want you to feel pressured because of the romantic aura of Paris," and then said with a playful smile, "or my sexiness."

Margaret gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Can't you be serious for once, Pierce?"

"I can be when I want to be."

"You're such a child! It'll be interesting once we have one. I'll probably have to continue to raise you after ours have left the nest!"

"Probably, are you going to be changing my diapers too? I think my dad is getting kind of tired of dealing them."

Margaret gave him another punch before turning her view again to the city below. "It's peaceful up here. It feels like I can come here just to think."

"We only have two days left here though Hot lips. Maybe we can come here again before we leave."

Margaret turned to him with a smile and wrapped her arms around his waist while he did the same. "You know how I used to hate that nickname."

"I'm guessing by the way you used 'used to' means you like it now."

"It's kind of grown on me."

"Good because I plan on using it a lot."

Margaret looked into his eyes and saw his eyes dancing with a flame not just of desire but of love too. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now just kiss me already Hawkeye. You know I've been waiting since we got up here."

"Did I? I wasn't under the notion that you've been waiting."

"Oh just shut up and kiss me!"

Hawkeye smiled and kissed her passionately on top of the glowing Eiffel Tower.

They were a little late for dinner but Eugéne was waiting for them and showed them to a table. When he saw Margaret he got a rather dangerous glint in his eye that Hawkeye did not like one bit.

"Cheri you look amazing," he said with a bow and a kiss to her hand.

Margaret gave a little giggle and turned for him showing off the velvet dress that Hawkeye had given her.

Eugéne sat with them and made sure they got the best service. He excused himself for a moment to what Margaret and Hawkeye expected to be a bathroom break but they didn't see him go into the kitchen and talk to the mat idée. When he came back he made small talk until the mat idée came and told Hawkeye that he had a phone call.

After Hawkeye had left, Eugéne moved in closer to Margaret and told her he wanted to show her the view from his room of Paris. She started to protest about leaving Hawkeye but Eugéne said he'd tell the mat idée to tell him where they were. Before he left he made it seem like he was telling him where they were going but was actually telling him to keep Hawkeye away for the next couple of hours. The mat idée smiled and asked when was his turn.

"Not until I've made her squirm and squeal like a pig."

"So in like a couple of hours?"

"I bet I can do it in half an hour but I want to do it over and over again to her."

The mat idée smiled and nodded his understanding.


End file.
